Section B – Access to medical records and reports
Your consent is needed before we can apply for a medical report from your doctor, or other medical practitioner. This is governed by the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 or the Access to Personal Files and Medical Reports (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (made under the Northern Ireland Act 1974) and the Data Protection Act 1998.
In the event that you do not consent we may be unable to process your claim, or continue with benefits for a claim already inexistence. If you do consent then you have a choice whether or not to see the report before your doctor, or medical practitioner, forwards it to us.
If you indicate below that you wish to see the report you will have twenty-one (21) days after you have received our notification in which to contact your doctor, or other medical practitioner. If you indicate below that you do not wish to see the Report but later change your mind, you are entitled to request a copy directly from your doctor, or other medical practitioner, for up to six (6) months after it has been sent to us. If you are supplied with a copy of the Report your doctor, or other practitioner, is entitled to charge you a reasonable fee to cover costs. In addition, if your doctor, or other medical practitioner, spends time with you discussing your Report there is an additional entitlement to charge a fee to cover the time involved as this would not fall within the NHS Terms of Service.
Your doctor is not obliged to let you see any part of the report if it is felt it would cause you harm, would indicate his intentions towards you or would reveal the identity or details of another person who is not a professional involved in your care. Your doctor, or other medical practitioner, will inform you if this applies to sections of your Report and you may see the remaining parts. If the whole Report is affected then it will not be forwarded to us without your further consent.
You are entitled to write to your doctor, or other medical practitioner, and request that your Report be amended if you consider it, or any part of it, to be incorrect or misleading. If your doctor, or other medical practitioner, is not prepared to amend your Report, a statement of your views can be attached to it.