Access your personal data / health records
Under data protection legislation, living individuals have a number of rights relating to the personal information that organisations hold about them. One of these is the right to view or obtain copies of the information that we hold about you, including your medical records. This is known as a subject access request or SAR. SARs can be made verbally or in writing.
From April 2022, The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust joined together to form the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. As our services integrate, we will help you direct your request to the relevant team to process. This will not affect the service you receive.
Important information about making your request
As our services integrate, it is important to tell us whether your request regards:
- Records held by the Royal Devon and Exeter (Wonford) Hospital and community services in Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter
- Records held by the North Devon District Hospital and community services in North Devon
- Or records held by both
To be valid, your request/completed application form must include the necessary evidence of your identity, so that we can be sure that you are entitled to receive the requested information.
If you are applying on someone else’s behalf, we will also need evidence of their consent. Alternatively, you may have a legal right to represent a patient, for example, where they are unable to manage their own affairs and you have a Lasting Power of Attorney (Health and Welfare); or, in the case of a young child, you have parental responsibility.
Where should I send my request?
Requests regarding Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) and services in Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter
The quickest way to submit a request is to complete the relevant application form and email it to us at: rduh.accesstorecords-eastern@nhs.net
Alternatively, you can get help completing the form from Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), contact us by telephone on 01392 402623, or send your request to us at:
Information Governance Office, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Wonford Hospital, Barrack Road
Exeter, Devon, EX2 5DW
Requests regarding North Devon District Hospital and services in North Devon
The quickest way to submit a request is to complete the relevant application form and email it to us at: ndht.accesstorecords@nhs.net
Alternatively, you can get help completing the form from Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), contact us by telephone on 01271 314090, or send your request to us at:
Access to Records, Level 0, Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4JB
Accessing a deceased patient’s health record
In accordance with the Access to Health Records Act 1990, access to a deceased patient’s medical records can be given only to:
- The patient’s personal representative (this will be the executor of the will or the administrator of the estate)
- Any person who may have a claim arising out of the patient’s death
The Trust has a duty to maintain the confidentiality of all medical records and this duty persists even after death. Next of kin and close relatives of the deceased do not have an automatic right of access to patient records unless they are either the personal representative of the patient or have a claim arising out of the patient’s death.
We ask that requests of this nature be made using the relevant form.
Which form do I need?
The following information explains which forms are relevant for us to be able to help you. You do not have to complete our forms, however, we would ask you to read the appropriate one to ensure you have provided everything we need in order to handle your request efficiently.
You can download the forms below.
Requests regarding Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) and services in Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter
- Staff members who wish to obtain a copy of their personnel record may apply using the request to access: personnel records form
- If your request concerns a deceased patient’s health record, please complete the request for access to: health records of deceased patients form.
- You may complete the request to access: health records and radiology images form
Requests regarding North Devon District Hospital and services in North Devon
- You may complete the Accessing Healthcare Records form here
- Staff members who wish to obtain a copy of their personnel record may apply using the personnel/staff form
Receiving a response
All releases of information are via NHS secure email unless requested otherwise. You can also use the NHS Secure email to submit your ID documentation, please email us to enable this. For more information please see the Access Encrypted Emails Guide for non-NHSmail users.
In accordance with the Department of Health guidance to NHS organisations, we will try to provide information within 21 calendar days if it is at all possible to do so. However, the General Data Protection Regulation allows us a legal timescale of one month to respond which can be extended to three months for complex requests. The time starts when we receive your request together with all the required supporting information.
Please make sure that you describe clearly the information you would like to receive as we may otherwise have to contact you for clarification, which would delay your request.
Will I be charged a fee?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, our Trust must provide a copy of your information free of charge. In some circumstances, a reasonable fee may be charged when the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive particularly if it is repetitive. A reasonable fee may also be charged to comply with requests for further copies of the same information.
Data Protection Officer
The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at the below email address:
For further details, please see:
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us/information-governance/fair-collection-privacy-notice/