Health (Medical) Records

Like all hospitals, we keep accurate and up to date information about our patients, including details of all their treatments. This means health professionals have the information they require in order to give you the best possible treatment. We take great care to look after your records properly and anyone who has access to them is obliged to respect their confidentiality. If you would like to know more about this, please write to:

Records Access Officer, Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8DA.

In most cases you have a legal right to see your health records.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation anyone can make a request to see the information that Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust holds about them.

To access a copy of your health records, please complete the relevant form below and send it, together with copies of two forms of identification from the table below (one from section A and one from section B).

• Personal Access Application Form (Adult) - please ensure when downloading this form that you are using a browser such as Google Chrome - the form will not download on older browsers such a Internent Explorer)
• Personal Access Application Form (Minor) - please ensure when downloading this form that you are using a browser such as Google Chrome - the form will not download on older browsers such a Internent Explorer)

Section A - Something to prove who you are

• UK Passport
• Passport from eligible countries including EU/EEA
• Driving licence (driving licences without a photo are not acceptable)
• EU/EEA National Identity card
• UK birth certificate (under 18s only)
• National Insurance Card (Under 18s only)
• Medical card (under 18s only)

Section B - Something with your current home address (less than three months old)

• Utility bill
• Phone bill
• Local authority council tax bill
• HMRC tax code notification
• Benefits or pensions notification letter confirming the right to benefit 

If you do not have any of these forms of identification, please contact the Trust using the information below and we will discuss how we can deal with your request.

Please complete the form for living patient with ID and send to the following postal address or email:

• SARs Team, Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8DA.
• dgn-tr.sarsrequests@nhs.net

To contact the department by telephone, please call 01322 428100. Once you have been connected to the switchboard, please enter extension 8099. Please do not call 01322 428099 directly as this is a number for a local business.

Requests for records are now free of charge. However if the Trust believes your request to be manifestly unfounded or excessive there are two options available:

1. We may request a “reasonable fee” to deal with your request, which will be based on the administrative costs of complying with your request; or
2. We may refuse to deal with your request.

If we decide to charge a fee we will promptly notify you of the reasons why and the amount before completing the request. If we refuse to deal with your request, we will promptly notify you of the reasons why.

You can be refused access to your records or part of them if:

• your doctor thinks you or someone else could be harmed as a result of providing the information
• the information relates to, or was provided by, an identified individual apart from yourself or a health professional and it would be unfair to them for you to see that information
• you are applying on behalf of someone who has died or who is no longer capable of managing their own affairs, but who originally provided the information to the Trust on the understanding that it wouldn't be revealed later

To request a copy of a deceased patients health record please read the following Information for applications and then use the form available via the link below:  

• Personal representative of a deceased patient health record application request form - please ensure when downloading this form that you are using a browser such as Google Chrome - the form will not download on older browsers such a Internent Explorer)

Should you be unhappy with the outcome of your request, you should in the first instance contact the DPO at Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust who will review your request.

You may also contact the Information Commissioner directly if you remain dissatisfied:

Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a local number.