How long to keep client records?

jobbingmusician

Is anyone sure about this? We no longer provide mental health advocacy under contract, and the new contract holders don't want our files. Anyone know how long we have to keep the files for?


(We think it's 6 years This does seem unfair - storage costs money and I know that most govt departments have severe difficulties in retrieving any of MY records if I ask!)

Errata

Is the advocacy service a registered charity? If so, what is in the details about what will be done with all the office etc gubbins when the charity is closed?

jobbingmusician

It's PART of a registered charity. And the charity isn't closing, it's just the contracted service which is closing. We are actually starting a new service, but it will be run with volunteers, so we will still have an office - a much smaller one where we don't have space for client records stretching back into infinity......

Errata

In that case ask the CEO/trustees/management committee to resolve the storage problem. It's called team work

jobbingmusician

Ha ha, yes it is team work when the CEO (me!) dons jeans and spends the day shifting stuff. CEO and chief bottle washer.

In the end we managed to shoe horn an extra cabinet into our new tiny office. I would still like to know what the rules are for keeping files, though

Errata

I wondered if that was going to be the case:D
I would guess the retention period would be six or seven years, but the Charity Commission and your local CVS should have accurate info. and also Savvy Sue if she spots your post.

Savvy_Sue

Errata wrote: »

I wondered if that was going to be the case:D
I would guess the retention period would be six or seven years, but the Charity Commission and your local CVS should have accurate info. and also Savvy Sue if she spots your post.

:rotfl: Sorry, not for sure.

If the clients are all adults, it's likely to be a shorter period of time than if they're children.

I just asked DH and he said "as long as they're needed".

We've been going for 20 years and I think we still have some original records in the loft at work ... we shuffle the finance records and cull them after seven years, but just add to the client boxes, AFAIK.

Errata

This is one of those conundrums that are a tangle of rules, regs, health and charity law.
Just had a gambol around the net and discovered the following, and as your records are about the client's health this may apply or not!
However, as you've now found extra archive space at least that gives you a breather to discover the definitive answer to 'how long'.

Medical records and details of biological
tests under the control of Lead at Work
Regulations
Forty years from the date of the last
entry