Access to health records
As a public organisation, we strive to be open and accountable, and to share appropriate information that allows members of the public and interested parties to understand more about our activities.
Because Dorset HealthCare is publicly funded, it complies with the principles and rules set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which gives members of the public the right to access certain types of information. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority, but does not cover personal data (information about yourself), such as health records – you can request this type of information by making a Subject Access Request.
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act lists sets out information which should be published under the Information Publication Scheme, and also allows people and interested parties to request official information we hold. There may be occasions when the information requested cannot be supplied – for example, if we do not hold it, or an exemption applies – but we will explain the reasons if that is the case.
Our Freedom of Information Policy illustrates our procedure for dealing with information requests under the FOI Act (2000).
How to request information
If you can't see the information you are looking for within the Information Publication Scheme, you can make an information request under the general rights of access to information.
We will respond to your request within 20 working days. Sometimes, some or all of the information requested cannot be provided. We will explain the reasons why if this is the case.
We are currently experiencing intermittent technical errors with the submission of forms. Should you have difficulty in submitting, send the request to dhc.