Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1347. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of requests for medical files that have been submitted; the number by persons and legal teams; the number that have been issued in this regard; the number still being processed; the number that have been denied; the reason for them being denied access; and the waiting time for a file. [32508/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI expect that all patient information, including documents, files and audits related to patients, will be made available to patients or their representatives without delay, and that the provision of information will be streamlined to the fullest extent possible to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy. A significant team has been put in place in CervicalCheck to deal with requests for records and the HSE has confirmed that the majority of requests have been delivered inside the required timeframes to date with a small number of exceptions. The HSE has advised that as of 13 July:
- 126 legal requests have been received, of which 71 have been processed;
- 189 FOI or data access requests have been made and 168 of these have been responded to.
The HSE has advised that a protocol for providing women with access to their physical smears is now in place, aimed at preserving the integrity of the smears for women who may wish to take legal action. Information in relation to the protocol is now being issued to women with their records, to facilitate them in receiving smears should they wish to do so. The HSE advises that solicitors are now using this protocol to access smears when required.
