Gaining Medical reports on Data Access request.

[breadline]

Hi there
I am going to make a thread here as i belive it was this site that has given me the courage and knowledge to actually take on a medical labratory who continually denied my rights to access my own date.

After sending a data request to my own GP and vieing my own notes at a cost of £10. i realised the extent in which this coverd my rights and so
just as i was ready to through in the Towel, i sent a data release form to a labratory who has been denying me access to some blood results since Nov last year.

As with the banks the Labratory had 40 days in which to reply, fullfill or reject with reason my request.

I never recieved any responce atall from teh Labratory , and there is a possiblity my results have been destroyed whilst i have been in the process of requesting thier contents, ( a very naughty move indeed and one frowned upon greatly by the Information Commissioners Office)

So I carried on through my persuit and sent a complaint form Off to the Information Commisioners Office and today recieved a letter advising that they will be taking on my compliant and persuing The Labratory for some answers, and hopefully if all goes well i will get the results that i have been fighting for since Nov last year.

This could open a door for many people in the future as this labratory used by many GP's, does not if they can help it have any contact with patients but the most horrific thing is no one has ever been able to question thier own results, ( eg: how the information was gathered to come to the negative, equivical or positive) some labratories have different reading levels for tests and meaning some positive tests are falling through the system. A good example is different tests and test results being acceptable in different countries. Due to standards being set at different levels.

Yet what ever country we live in we are all human.

Just goes to show you dont have to stop at the banks, people have many rights and they are being broken in many places.

Wish me luck and i will update when i can but musn't celebrate to early, however I cant help but smile that i even got this far

IF anyone wishes to have help viewing thier doctors notes please fell free to PM me at anytime.

BL (AND A BIG THANKS TO CAG)

[JonCris]

Word of advice.
Be careful many GP practice managers still try & charge much more than £10 for your medical records claiming costs for doctors revue & photocopying etc. This is unlawful. The case law supports the £10 charge

[Rich44]

I was looking at this the other day and Addenbrookes website says they may charge up to £50 naughty naughty

[demon_x_slash]

Same thing with educational records - I'm really interested in getting my secondary school files back. I went to (was forced into) a religious school, and displaying any signs of paganism was punished quite severely with behavioural reports, 'assessments' etc.; my first few years were rather turbulent until I learned to keep my head down. I know the Data Protection Act has an exemption on certain medical/educational/governmental records, but would that apply in this case? I know they existed at least five years ago because I managed to glimpse the file...
Would anyone have any views on the technicalities of the exemptions?
Regards.