Birth records and the Data Protection Act 1998

[George563]

All this talk about obtaining medical records on this forum reminded me of obtaining my own a few years ago.

 

 

Back in 2007 and 2008, I obtained some medical records of my own health under the Data Protection Act 1998. These consist of hospital records (such as a routine operation that I had back in 1988), GP records, child development records and so on.

 

 

I also obtained my birth records (it tells me when I was born, when the delivery of placenta was, my Apgar score etc).

 

 

This is the crux of the matter, and this is what I am asking - as they are pregnancy records, they are obviously regarded as being the mother's medical records, but I am arguing that if one happened to be the baby born as a result of the pregnancy, they should also be seen as one's own personal records under the Data Protection Act 1998. What do you think?

 

 

I obtained them under the Access to Patient Records Act 1990 as my mother is now deceased and passed away before I obtained them, but my point is that a record of one's birth is just as much a Data Protection thing, so why did I need to access it as if it was just my late mother's records? Would I have been able to obtain them under Data Protection Act 1998 if she had still been alive at the time?

 

 

I believe that birth records should automatically be seen under Data Protection Act 1998. Does anyone agree with this?

[Sali]

Well, I was able to obtain my deceased parent's medical records as the next of kin, a short time after their death, under the same Act. It was rather like reading somebody's diary though and felt 'wrong,' although it was for a particular cause.