Could anyone please help me source my family's medical notes?

[SantaFio2]

I feel really distressed. I know you are all most probably fed up with me going on about it, but my obs notes never turned up and now we have moved our last county wont forward on my daughters medical notes. They want to check her previous CT scan, but they wont forward it. She now has to go for an MRI but i am worried if there is brain damage it wont show as old brain damage (from birth) I dont really know how they work.

The hospital (2 different ones) have requested mine and my daughters notes but nothing has materialised. We have been here a year in April, its beyond a joke. I want to know the BEST way of getting them and quickly. If they are lost what do I do?

Oh Fio
I cant help but wanted to give you support. How bloody frustrating....
What have you tried so far?

I havent tried anything, the hospitals have been trying to get them for me. But they cant and I am just so fucking fed up of it all

fio have you tried the hospital legal dept? or contacted a solicitor/lawyer? (i never know what to call them)

or is that down the wrong alley

sorry i didnt mean to swear

no apologising fio

give the citizens advice bureau a call,,,,,they may have some advice which will at least stop you feeling so frustrated by it all

We got notes from a hospital in another borough just by requesting them and paying for copy. Hospital concerned also made appointment with consultant to discuss our concerns.

Since yours seem nowhere near as forthcoming, I would conider contacting local MP with a letter stating the situation and how much stress this is causing you.

Also try contacting the head of the PCT in the area from which you want to obtain records.

what is the PCT?

Primary Care Trust.

Local one should be in local phone book.

Try looking for a web site for the hospital you want notes from.

I know fairydust had a bit of a struggle to get hers and her dds notes....
worth asking her...

Can't you contact your original consultant (via his/her secretary) directly? Is it a case that they will not forward the notes or are they being particularly slow?

You need to contact the "medical records manager" at the original hospital. You have a right to access your clinical records under the Data Protection Act 1998. See here .

oh fio - do this now - at least you will feel less frustrated and get the ball rolling
good luck hun

Hi SF. I dont know the history of this, but maybe can offer some help as I was a medical secretary and still work in the NHS.

You can request a copy of the casenotes via the Access to Health Records Act. You will have to pay a small fee and they have to respond within 28 days (I think).

However, you shouldn't have to do this. If a Consultant has requested a set of notes from another hospital they should send them.

I would suggest that you telephone the Consultant's secretary at this end and ask her to chase them. Then telephone the Consultant's secretary at the other end and find out why the delay. I would then telephone the hospital at the other end and ask to speak to the Head of the Health Records Department (or they might call it Medical Records). Don't speak to a Health Records clerk, ask for the senior manager responsible for that department.

The original casenotes shouldn't have been sent, they should have done copies - so they will still have them to copy again if they did go missing, and they should have sent them recorded delivery.

Is that any help?

Fio - have you asked for them for yourself - not via the GP or the doctor? They have to give them to you - they are legally required to do so. You may remember I had to wait a while for dd's although they did turn up eventually. They can stall when handing them to a third party but for you they should act within the 40 days (from memory) under the data protection act.

If you have formally applied for them for yourself anfd they haven't been forthcoming then you should make a formal complaint to the Chief Exec of the hospital quoting the data protection stuff. Have a look at this

I sent all my letters by recorded/registered post, got the name of the medical records manager and basically badgered him daily by phone.

Good luck

it was just the hospital who have been trying to get them. Thank you to all of you. This has really helped. I want to get my notyes a s quickly as possible and someone off mumsnet has contacted me with a good lawyers name. I cant really take them on myself, its too much thank you everyone xx

good luck fio

Have a go at getting them in your own right Fio and see what happens, you know you can get stroppy with them if you try real hard.

And what's with the name change?
X

The hospital will be able to tell if damage is old damage and when it happened. DS has brain damage that happened in pregnancy and its very different to DD1 MRI results (the damage happened after birth) but the hospital were able to tell that it happened soon after deliverly and it was about 1 year old when she was diagnosed (13 months) HTH

thanks mieow, that really helps - you're a star

Potty the only reason i am tending to lean towards getting a lawyer involved now is that i am fed up of being pissed around by them. She is 5 now and, no diagnosis. to be told by a Dr that the hospital involved have been wasting our time, let alone pulling at our heartstrings is just too much and even though i always beleived it was caused by other factors (even if they are secondary) it has still come as a shock!! just feel it might be better to stand back a little and let someone else deal with it for us. plus it gets dealt with independantly, if they think it needs to be. it isnt about money about a dignosis for dd and what the hell is going on. i am sure you understand this x

I do understand Fio - it must be so frustrating for you, why the hell can't they just admit they cocked up and help you towards some peace of mind.

Hugs X