What are the rights of access to a deceased persons health records?
Health records relating to deceased people do not carry a common law duty of confidentiality. However, it is Department of Health and General Medical Council policy that records relating to deceased people should be treated with the same level of confidentiality as those relating to living people. Access to the health records of a deceased person is governed by the Access to Health Records Act 1990. Under this legislation when a patient has died, their personal representative or executor or administrator or anyone having a claim resulting from the death (this could be a relative or another person), has the right to apply for access to the deceased s health records. How can a person apply for access to a deceased persons health records? A request for access should be made in writing to the record holder ensuring that it contains sufficient information to enable the correct records to be identified. The request should also give details of the applicant s right to access the records. Who
