• Reference Number: HEY1569/2025
• Departments: Corporate, Trustwide - Adult
• Last Updated: 31 July 2025

Introduction

In line with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), all individuals have the right to request access to their own Health Records.

If you are a personal legal representative of a living or deceased patient, under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 and/or DPA, you may have the right to request access to the Health Records and other personal information of the individual concerned. However, the necessary legal criteria must be met, and proof of authority must be provided in the form of legal documentation.

Please note: a patients Next of Kin is not a deceased individuals Legal Representative. If a will exists, the Executor of the Will is the deceased patients Legal Representative. If a will does not exist and the deceased is intestate, then the closest Next of Kin can apply via a Solicitor for a Letter of Administration. A Letter of Administration enables an individual to handle the deceased’s affairs.

How do I make a request to access the Health Records?

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust work in Partnership and are governed by the same legislation. However, Subject Access Requests are processed by the Trust that your Subject Access Request relates to.

If you are a patient or a patient’s personal legal representative and wish to apply for Access to Health Records, we kindly request that a ‘Request for Information Application Form’ is completed.

To request an application form, please contact the relevant Trust site, Subject Access Request Department. Requests for applications can be requested via email or telephone using the contact details below. It is important that the application form is completed fully, and all necessary information/documents are provided before the Subject Access Request Department are able to proceed with your application.

Should you wish to input a Subject Access Request for both Trusts, two separate applications must be sought and submitted.

Will I get charged for accessing a Health Record?

Generally, there isn’t a charge for copies of your Health Records, however a fee can be charged if a request is considered as manifestly unfounded or excessive, this includes duplicate requests.

How long will the application take?

We aim to complete requests within 30 days from the day that the completed application form and all necessary information/documentation is received by the Subject Access Request Department, as per the Data Protection Act 2018. However, should there be mitigating factors, for instance, if your request is considered complex, an application may take up to an additional two months to process.

Can an application to access patient Health Records be refused?

Applications to access patients Health Records can be entirely or partially refused. This may be due to one or multiple reasons. Should an application be refused the Subject Access Request Team will provide in writing the reasoning behind this.

Applications may be refused due to, but not limited to, one or multiple of the below reasons:

1. Where an application is made by a patient’s personal representative or an individual who may have a claim arising out of the patient’s death. Access will not be given if the deceased patients health record includes a note, made at the patients request, that the patient did not wish access to be given on such an application.
2. Where access to any part of the Health Record would disclose information likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any individual.
3. Where access to any part of the Health Record would disclose information relating to or provided by an individual other than the patient, who could be identified from the information.
4. Where access to any part of the Health Records would disclose information provided by the patient in the expectation that it would not be disclosed to the applicant.
5. Where access to any part of the Health Records would disclose information obtained as a result of any examination or investigation to which the patient consented in the expectation that the information would not be disclosed.
6. Where the level of information or documentation provided alongside the application is insufficient or inadequate.

Contact Details for Further Information

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust work in Partnership and are governed by the same legislation. However, Subject Access Requests are processed by the Trust that your Subject Access Request relates to.

Please contact the relevant Trust site Subject Access Request Team.

Should you wish to input a Subject Access Request for both Trusts, two separate applications must be sought and submitted.

Any Comments, Compliments, Concerns or Complaints

If you have any other concerns please talk to your nurse, therapist or doctor.  Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is available on –

As a Trust we value equality of access to our information and services, therefore alternative formats are available on request at-

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust- nlg-tr.interpreters@nhs.net

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust-  hyp-tr.interpreters@nhs.net

NHS Website

NHS website is a health information service.  The aim is to support the public to become active consumers of healthcare rather than passive recipients, and to help individuals, their family or carers to make more informed choices: https://www.nhs.uk/

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.