Is it wrong to have my guard up

[Wish]

I asked the doctor at the hospital if i could see the scans and medical notes to do with my family member care and overall health during his stay to help me actually see at which point my family member condition became worse and to help me gain some understanding if not closure.
I was then told by the doctor why do i wanna see these notes it wont help and she cant understand why i want to see them and she became quite stand offish i have been in the hospital for over 2months and to not see anything i find really strange.
Especially that im immediate family am i asking to much it just frustrating i just would like the opportunity to understand better whats happening.

 

[Jessbow]

data protection will stop you seeing these, along with general patient/Dr confidentiality.

Do you have POA?

 

[Wish]

data protection will stop you seeing these, along with general patient/Dr confidentiality.

Do you have POA?

No poa we have paid the hospital for a full disclosure so hopefully this will contain everything that as a family we want to see although considering how the situation has been i doubt that they will give this info

 

[Kevinl]

Just as a private person, no one has the "right" to see my medical records other than me and my doctor hospital or otherwise.
That said the notes are generally just fairly vague observations about what the doctor thinks at that time, possibly having never met them before or don't really remember.
If there is some purpose in wanting to access the notes then OK, but if not then Doctor/Patient confidentiality is the rule.
K

 

[Jessbow]

This presumably not in the UK.

Never heard of paying for a disclosure in the UK.

 

[Wish]

This presumably not in the UK.

Never heard of paying for a disclosure in the UK.

Surprisingly its in the uk i guess it goes towards to paying for the hospital and improvements which after what i experienced i believe they desperately need

 

[Chemmy]

I wasn't aware of this either, but there's more information here

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/access-to-someone-elses-medical-or-health-records.aspx

Where patients are unable to give consent

If a patient is unconscious or unable to give consent or communicate a decision about their health records due to a mental or physical condition, their health professionals must take decisions about the use of information.
These decisions need to take into account the patient’s best interests and any previous wishes or decisions they may have expressed. The views of relatives or carers as to the likely wishes of the patient should also be taken into account.
If a patient is unable to consent, information should only be given that is in the patient’s best interests, and then only as much as is needed to support their care.

Fees to access someone else’s health records

You may have to pay a fee to access someone else’s health records, so ask if there is a charge before you apply to see them.

 

[lemonjuice]

Just a thought but the notes may not help you too much.

Hospitals (and staff nurse reports in NH) tend look at the 'client' as a 'medical case'. So you'll get a breakdown of anything they've discovered.
If it's something like heart failure or a stroke, every person's case will be slightly different in the way their condition progresses, so information may not help you much in your understanding.

I know they say any co-morbidities combined with dementia affect them, but much may depend on their original health condition.

 

[Jessbow]

Maybe if you explained what your concerns are/what you hope to achieve more specifically, others could advise/suggest.

Is the point of the exercise to 'hunt for flaws'' or just avail yourself of facts/findings?

I get the overall impression your are unhappy about care/decisions.

 

[Wish]

Maybe if you explained what your concerns are/what you hope to achieve more specifically, others could advise/suggest.

Is the point of the exercise to 'hunt for flaws'' or just avail yourself of facts/findings?

I get the overall impression your are unhappy about care/decisions.

Yeah i m slighty unhappy about how the hospital handled decisions around care but more importantly i wanna find closure and i feel that findings could help.
Just like a simple scan so that i could see what is going on in his head

 

[Spiro]

From 1st August, the newly qualified doctors start work. This is happens annually.

I would ask to speak to the consultant when they next do their ward round. Hopefully, the hospital has a "Friends and Family" policy which allows the main carer to visit outside visiting hours.

To request copies of the notes there is usually a charge and you have to complete a form and show ID. Without LPA for H & W this may be difficult. Data protection and patient confidentiality are the issues.

Copies of the notes are requested after the patient has been discharged.