Access to health records: the rights of the patient.

From time to time patients will ask to see or request a copy of the records made about them and the treatment they received from district nurses and other health professionals. While district nurses can informally allow a patient to see the content of the records they use, a request to view or have a copy of the wider health record requires a formal request for access under the Data Protection Act 1998. This article considers the requirements for requesting and granting access to a patient to view and obtain a copy of their health record.