can my mum see her hospital notes whilst on the ward?

[hospitalstay]

My mum is in hospital and wanted to see her ward notes for example to see what pain killers she is on and how her leg injuries (which occurred since arrival on the ward) had been logged. She has been told she is not allowed to look until after she is discharged via a 40 day turnaround request. Does anyone know if this is correct? Surely there should be paperwork she can sign to enable her to look whilst on the ward if she is certified as of sound mind (which she certainly is). Thanks

Hope you have managed to speak to someone today @hospitalstay

Tbh I was being a little disingenuous. DS is actually being treated at home for a condition which for safeguarding reasons mean his notes may contain that he called a nurse a curse. 🙄😳🤪

But this has only happened if is directly necessary for safeguarding evidencing eg included as part of a specific threat. Usually it is recorded that DS was verbally/physically abusive/DS was hostile etc as this is entirely adequate. I know because, as well as being sent to the nursing agency, the records are kept in the house and freely accessible. DS doesn't read them, but I do, especially after one of the nurses sat me down and explained all the reasons why I should. I have so many problems with what you are saying, but as I don't know your specific circumstances I'll leave it there.

I respect that you want to leave it there but just to be clear, I'm talking about grown adult men, with no mental capacity issues or conditions that would lead to them calling hospital staff cunts or spitting at them. Purely personality reasons.

Think of the most horrible, nasty person you have ever met and remember that they attend surgeries and hospitals and we all have to deal with them as best we can.

You will be able to read but you most definitely won't understand the medical terminology so either way you would NEED to speak to a nurse or a doctor REGARDLESS.

That is a bit presumptuous! How do you know that? Where does most medical jargon actually come from?

Medical terminology comes from two languages greek and latin. So you would need someone used of medical terminology to interpret some clinical notes.

‘Because some people might not understand’ is not a reason not to make information about someone, available to them. In fact I’d say I’ve found out far more from my notes than I often have from a doctor treating me, and as a result have known what questions to ask. Patients are often experts in their own conditions and doctors are often not good at relaying information. And that’s without the dangerous misses that often happen in care. The doctors who have shared information the most freely have had the most positive impact on mine and my family’s health, and I know that it often costs them time they don’t have at the beginning but usually saves time in the end. And lives.

I totally agree there should be full disclosure with patients. As I understand there is a way patients can get access to their information. So no need for people to fret about that. However as I said with some clinical notes you will need someone familiar with medical terminology to interpret them.

I think you’re underestimating many patients which is also often the problem, but having said that - a large part of the problem is anyone having time to explain anything and the likelihood of that elusive time crossing over with the time next of kin is allowed to be there, should the patient themselves be too unwell / young etc. Too many times this information is needed urgently - I’m glad I was able to see that they had prescribed my dad something dangerous to him, by reading the notes, vs finding out too late that it had caused him potentially fatal harm, by kindly then being allowed to see his notes, should those pages actually be present.

’Fret’ is the type of language often used by medical professionals that would rather keep information about patients on a need to know basis. I’m 49 and rather unfretful these days. But thank you for the virtual head-pat

Because the chid was the patient. The mother was staying with the child. The mum then disclosed the information to her child's nurse. The mum was not a patient and had no notes. You'd be amazed how common this sort of thing is.

Nobody is covering up, there is just a way to access them. Also, how would she know from paper notes whether a drug had been given, are most scripts in hospital not electronic ?

Medical terminology comes from two languages greek and latin. So you would need someone used of medical terminology to interpret some clinical notes.

So, only HCPs are used to medical terminology? What if you grew up in a family of doctors, reading their medical textbooks and hearing tales about patients, post mortems and murders (from a pathologist)?

I totally agree with a pp, that actually families might known about the relative’s condition than nurses and any junior doctors, unless it’s a tertiary specialist unit. I can only find three diagnosed symptomatic children in the literature, with the same atypical presentation of an extremely rare disease DD has - a professor admitted she was the first symptomatic person he’d ever met.

Read my post again since you care to comment. Never once have I mentioned HCPs. So you can cool your jet now.

So, in summary, all patients, when asked, want to see their notes. Most will understand them. The NHS is consistently resistant to that. It's all about protection of the NHS, not the patient. Conclusion, the NHS needs to change, not the attitude of the patient (who is, by the way, a customer, who is paying for the service).

I think it must be who owns the data. The body the information is about? Or the collector of the information ie the medical setting.

It is bizarre as the information is about the patient.

Oh no, not Greek and Latin roots. What ever shall people do. It is an incomprehensible language that defies reading except by the sacred priests.

• data protection laws. FTFY.

What specific provision of the data protection act prevents a person from viewing their own medical information?

Theres no underestimating anyone here I simply made a statement of fact. If people don’t like it then thats on them.

🙄

Same.

Sacred male priests descended from Oxbridge descendants anointed with vintage champagne and the ability to understand impenetrable handwriting.

I didn't know and I'm actually shocked you have to request access to your own records.. what a silly system.

It was another mum who actually recommended taking a photo of my birth notes on the postnatal ward, great to have them to look over whilst it’s still fresh in your mind. And not have to go through the process of requesting them etc. I wish I’d done it with my first baby.

Yes there’s a lot of abbreviations and some medical terminology but nothing a quick google didn’t fix, was hardly rocket science 😂

Still no doctors on the ward during any visiting hours. I have in writing from the hospital records department and from PALS that it is policy in our trust that anyone can view their notes (paper and computer) at any time whilst on the ward but they need a nurse or doctor with them whilst viewing and they can show them to anyone they want ie relatives or give verbal permission for relatives to look, with staff present. Still have to find the energy to make the request for her. It is so understaffed it is absolutely heartbreaking to see.

Next time I'm in hospital I'm taking pictures on my phone of all the information about me that I can get my hands on. It affects me, no one else, I have a right to it and no petty jobsworth whining that I'm 'not allowed' is going to put me off. No chance am I going Ti give the doctors an opportunity to take out the bits that make them look bad before I get a copy.