Obtaining Ante/Post Natal Records from Maternity Unit

Sam_Spends_Too_Much

Hi, does anyone know how I would go about getting my ante and post natal records from the maternity unit I had my daughter in 7 years ago?? Would they even still have them?? Is it simply a case of speaking/writing to the Unit and requesting them or do I have to go through my doctor, and do I have to give my reasons for wanting them??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

BusyLizzie_3

I requested my notes from the birth of my third daughter, though only a few months afterwards. I wrote to the manager of the unit, and they wrote back and gave me an appointment to see one of the midwives who went through the notes with me (at home) and explained them. It was very straightforward, though I'm not sure what the procedure would have been if I'd wanted to keep a copy of the notes myself - I guess they'd have charged me to photocopy them. You do have the right to see your own notes and you don't have to give any reasons. I would have thought they should still have them after 7 years - but obviously your first step would be to simply telephone them and ask.

alwaysonthego_2

under the data protection act you are entitled to see any record that has been written about you.

lynzpower

alwaysonthego wrote: »

under the data protection act you are entitled to see any record that has been written about you.

the only potential issue here though is after 6 years medical records can be destroyed.

jma21

My midwife told me (when she took them off me for the last time) they have to be kept until the child is 21! Haven't heard this anywhere else but I'm sure she must be right. That was 3 years ago. I agree with Busy Lizzie - in my area you have to go and see the midwife counsellor who will go through your notes with you. Not sure about getting copies though - I'd love a copy of mine so let me know if you find out!

tigertiger_3

When trying to obtain any hospital notes you normally have to write into the trust.....not qute sure to ???medical records section. Notes are kept for 25 years for legal reasons. Its not unheard of that midwifes go to court 20 years after a baby is born due to incidents.

WestonDave

tigertiger is correct - because these notes potentially record events which may have a bearing on the health of a child, they are kept until 7 years after the child reaches 18 (i.e. the age at which they can sue in their own right) which would make it 25 years. However they may well be in deep archive somewhere so don't expect them to be available on a next day basis. The local maternity staff will know where you need to write to as that's where they send the notes when finished with.

Under the data protection act you are entitled to a copy of the whole lot for the statutory fee of £10 - don't let them try to fleece you more than that for copying charges as its not allowed! Being fair when my OH asked for hers immediately after DS2 was born they were copied and sent round free of charge - the midwife copied them before they went to central records.

Becles

I've just had a baby, and notes from the birth of my 10 year old and 8 year old were in my file at the hospital.

lynzpower

realy :eek: the hospital where I worked destoyed them all after about 8 years | was told it shoud have been 6 but there was a backlog

I remember thinking at the time , what if theres a sibling/ complications etc

To be honest, I worked as a socail worker attached to a hospital ( this was ALLEGEDLY the best NHS hosp in the UK) and many notes were utterly shambolic, and at times, somewhat offensive ( bordering on racist comments , comments about ladies weight etc )

Do bare in mind you may see something you might not want to see when looking at old notes. Hope you get them and your hospital isnt as crap as the one I used to work at.

iwanttosave_2

I tried to get the records for my eldest as he was born with no life signs and was finnaly revived after 3 minutes, I was never told what had happened and wanted to know.

I then got told that they had no record of me having a baby there :rolleyes:

Sam_Spends_Too_Much

God, hope everythings ok now. It worries me that nowadays hospitals don't write anything down that could come back and bite them in the future. So many people are making claims against maternity units that are totally unjustified - and I speak from personal experience - just because they think they'll get some money out of them.

My daughter was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy a couple of years ago and they've now added on learning delay. She still has more tests to be done to see exactly whats going on but I just can't seem to pinpoint when she was 'damaged'. When she was born, her face was incredibly bruised and both her eyes were very bloodshot where the veins in them had blown. At the time they said it was from the pressure in the birth canal but I can't help thinking if there was something they could of done. She was born Fri nite/Sat morn in a busy maternity unit. Saturday was the booked induction day and I got the feeling I was taking up space. I was discharged within 8 hrs of having her. She wasn't feeding properly and didn't even get her paed check (which I know is now common practice). I'm not out to lay blame or increase my bank balance, I just need someone to tell me why she is how she is so that I can get her the help she - and I!! - both need.