A boring 'life laundry' question

[Dustmylemonlies]

Hold on top your hats, Mumsnetters, here's a wild and sexy question for you. How long do you keep different types of formal paperwork before shredding?

Currently having a clear out and stumbled across a bunch of doctors letters (following a consultation and minor private operation 3 years ago.) I have had no complications since the procedure and have been fully recovered for a good 2.5 years. Do I shred? Do I keep?

I’d say as most stuff is held online now we don’t need to keep as much as we do. However, I have bank statements from around 2017 I’m sure 🙄

I scanned everything onto my phone and emailed it to myself

I think scan and save. I had surgery about 12 years ago and no complications, no follow ups, but then this year I have had something similar going on again and it was useful to be able to say to the consultant I had this surgery in that year. Also you don't know how far back the questions might go for travel insurance, health insurance etc - we got new health insurance at work recently and I wanted to claim, having had that condition previously I had to prove that I my previous treatment was more than 5 years ago. Chances are a lot is in the NHS app but not if it's private, which this second one was for me.

It’s a personal choice thing.

I have some really old letters from back when I had to prove I existed. I still hold onto some things which prove I exist, but most gets destroyed. How do you feel? There will be copies of documents with the NHS for 5 or 10 years, I think, so even if you shredded, there would still be something in the ether.

I try not to hold on to any paper document but have two fat folders

I’d keep a copy of the hospital letter either the hard copy or a digital copy. As a PP said it can be useful to have if you have a follow up. Also, while things are kept digitally I’ve learnt that different hospital trusts use different systems - my understanding is that things are shared but it isn’t easy for staff to navigate.

@EndlesslyDecluttering @Bluecrumble

Good point! Will keep a digital copy.