Accessing Health Information

You can apply here to access health information that NHS Tayside hold, in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulations and the Access to Health Records Act 1990.

Please note – requests for GP records, should be made directly to the practice.

You can make an application to see your records or you can authorise someone else to make the application on your behalf.

A parent or guardian, a patient representative, or a person appointed by a Court can also apply. We will need to see evidence that you have the right to access these records and proof of your identity. Prior to processing any request NHS Tayside is required to be satisfied as to the identity of the requestor.

You can ask the health professional responsible for your care if you can look at the records relevant to your current treatment or you can make a request for access to health records online through a secure portal. During the application process you must attach two forms of identification to include proof of signature (such as a passport or driving licence) and proof of address (such as a utility or council tax bill). You can upload identity documents and proof of entitlement to act for a third party online through our portal.

Click here to apply

Once you submit your request and identification documents, your request will automatically be sent to the appropriate team to process. Requests are normally dealt with within one calendar month, however in exceptional circumstances where a request is particularly complex or large, it may be necessary to extend the response time by up to a further two months. You will be notified of this and the reasons for such an extension.

Once your request has been processed, copies of the records will be returned to you electronically through the secure portal.

In certain circumstances full access to your health information may be denied, such as:

• if the release is likely to cause serious harm to you
• if disclosure goes against a patient’s expressed wishes, prior to death
• if your record contains information about a third party, e.g. a letter about a family member

You can apply for access to records that have been made about your health. You can ask for any information about yourself that you think is inaccurate or incomplete to be corrected or removed. Any abbreviations or jargon in the record can be explained to you.

Health Records Department, Ninewells Hospital
tay.accessmrninewells@nhs.scot

Health Records Department, Perth Royal Infirmary
tay.perthroyalaccessoffice@nhs.scot

Health Records Department, Mental Health Team
tay.carseviewmedicalrecords@nhs.scot