Ivor Callely
Question:59 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health the consideration or progress which has been given to grant patients a right to inspect their own medical records.
Written Answers. - Access to Medical Records.
The record of the treatment of a patient is the property of the hospital concerned. As a general rule a hospital will make details of the relevant medical records available to a patient, if requested.
Where medical records are held on computer, recent data protection legislation provides for the supply of automated health data to a patient providing its disclosure is not likely to cause serious harm to his or her physical or mental health. In such cases data may be communicated only by, or after consultation with, an appropriate "health professional"— normally the patient's own doctor.