[kirkandliz]

Hi

I have read somewhere that it would be a good idea to bring along a copy of our medical records to NZ with us - helping to get Health insurance etc

But recently checked with my GP surgery and was told it was fine to get a copy but it would cost me £50 (To pay for someone to photocopy the records).
So for a family of 4 its going to cost me £200 - no they won't let me go in and photocopy them myself!
Personally I think this is out of order

Has anyone else come across this?
It is actually worthwhile to take a copy of medical records? (especially as there is not anything wrong with us)
Anyone come across a way around the costs?

Any assistance appreciated

[anna_c]

I'd check with the data protection office. Generally for copies of records they're only allowed to charge you GBP10. There are some exceptions for medical things but I'm not sure if they include the cost.

I'd really like to be the preson doing the photocopying though :D The jobs I've had in the UK which involved a lot of copying paid about GBP5/hour.

[nippa&pippa]

Hi

I have read somewhere that it would be a good idea to bring along a copy of our medical records to NZ with us - helping to get Health insurance etc

But recently checked with my GP surgery and was told it was fine to get a copy but it would cost me £50 (To pay for someone to photocopy the records).
So for a family of 4 its going to cost me £200 - no they won't let me go in and photocopy them myself!
Personally I think this is out of order

Has anyone else come across this?
It is actually worthwhile to take a copy of medical records? (especially as there is not anything wrong with us)
Anyone come across a way around the costs?

Any assistance appreciated

We were told £50 per person too, so we opted not to bother as no way we pay £200 for 4 of us! But try get photocopy from dr surgery or printout from computer...find very nice dr to help you ;) I wish did that!

Just UK is trying to rip you off! Example, recently one of my hearing aid had cracked hook, i took in to hearing clinic and my aid had to send away for repair. Cost? $20 and took just 2 days of wait! In UK? £140 and at least 3 weeks of wait, up to one point 3months wait for my aid for just same hook!!.....so seem UK try to get your money and very slow

[Milliemoo]

Wow that's extortionate! :roll

We were chargered £10 or £15 and I thought that was cheeky. Have you tried asking the doctor for a medical summary? In my experience the doctors have no idea how much the office side of the surgergy charge or how they go about things. so he might just right you a letter. Worth a try.

Milliemoo

[Tia Maria]

Our doctor did a 'Health Report', print out, which essentailly covered any visits in the last couple of years - it was free. I assume this was the case as they just printed out what was held on computer rather than photocopying our entire medical records.

This was fine for registering with our NZ doctor, but TBH I think they would have registered us without it as we're fairly strightforward, medically speaking.

The Health Insurance guy didn't want to see anything, I guess they do all their investigating if we make a claim.

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

Think we were charged £30, and as far as I know our new docs have not even looked at them!

I would not have bothered, but have a bit of a history, so wanted to make sure I had all the info.

[gil]

We didn't bother getting copies and have not needed them for anything here.
£50 sounds excessive to me, whose records are they anyway!

Gil

[The Hodges]

Hi there

We're in the same boat, due out later this month. We were quoted £10 each for the records on the computer system (I'd imagine 8 or so years) or £50 each for copies of our records from birth. We're going with the former, just in case.

It is a rip off though - as has been said before, whose records are they anyway?

[Caroline and Dave]

We contacted a recommended Doctors surgery in Albany,Auckland to find out if they would need my medical history as I have quite a history.( I am still waiting to hear if I am accepted yet). They explained that they would need my records going back at least 10 years. Anyway my Doctors in UK have told me that they would send a computerised record of my history directly to the NZ doctors for a fee of £10.00, which I thought was reasonable. If I could not give them details of a doctor then they would give me a disc but this would cost £45.00. Confusing or what?. So basically if you have a complex medical history then they will require your old records, but if you have no serious medical history then they may not require them

Hope this helps

Dave

[leeb]

You should now by law be able to access your medical records by filling out an Freedom of Information Act form. I've got one for medical and dental records. Unfortunatley I've left it in my office. It is a specific form and you'll need to provide proof of ID with it (ie a photo I think). When I get into work on Monday I'll see what the form is called. I unfortunately cannot tell you where to get the form from as one of our very helpful admin girls gave it too me knowing I was leaving the country (I'll check on Monday). I've not been told there is a charge associated with this by the way, however under FOI the organisation/person receving the request has 40 days to respond so you'll have a bit of a wait.

Lee

[Trigirl]

under the FOI you can ask a public body to provide you with "official information" within 20 days. it doesn't cover personal information. however, the data protection act allows you to request information about yourself within 40 days (you need to make sure you've got the DPA form leeb - not the FOI one) they can ask you to pay up to £10. however there is an exception for manual health records where they still have to be provided but the maximum fee is £50 (hence I guess why that is what people are being charged).

[Hannah]

Personally unless you have got some ongoing health problem or something lurking in your past history that could come up again, then i'd say leave it. When i first came into a surgery in new plymouth the receptionist was itching to get me signed up (i guess it depends on whether there is a shortage of GPs in your area). Anyway, they didn't ask for my records and i didn't offer them. I guess if they needed to they could contact my GP and get advice/info if needed. I guess something could come up in the future which could be informed by something in your past medical history but as these records are all stored in UK they could be accessed if needed.

I did hear of someone on the forum getting their records on CD (all the electronic stuff, which in most surgeries included many years records which have been 'summarized' onto the electronic system). Not sure whether all GPs would be so obliging personally (and having worked in a primary care trust i was told by someone from health informatics that this would be a highly unusual practice)

[NannyOgg]

Don't bother - especially if you don't have a significant medical history. I had breast cancer 6 years ago and the insurance company wanted my medical records - told they I could get them and they just sent a nurse to do a quick check and take bloods and that was that!

[leeb]

Sorry, it is the data protection act forms. Its all the same thing as far as I was concerned. I've oblviously been really lucky again as I've not been asked to pay for anything.

[Smiler]

When we registered with the docs in Welly, I filled in the form to obtain our records from the UK.

They were faxed from our UK surgery at no charge. :nice1 If we'd had to pay we would have just asked for mine as the OH's only have his DOB on them and a 40 odd year blank space.

If you've no significant history it's not worth it.

[KerryS]

I'd agree that medical records aren't really necessary unless you have something significant in your history. I have a 10cm titanium rod in my leg, but they weren't in the least bit bothered about it at my NZIS medical.
I declared it to my insurance, and they have even covered me in case I need further operations in the future. (This is with Southern Cross.)

[sargeantmajor]

Hi Kirk and Liz,

I have a huge medical history, my husband has nothing and my twin boys have a lot as were premature so instead of paying 50p per sheet (up to £50) I asked my doctor for a summary on us all to 'introduce' us to a NZ surgery. She was happy to do this for no fee. Unless you have a big history tell them what you know. Any existing conditions would have to be checked with blood tests etc anyway for a prescription.

I will of course let you know how we get on as we will have to register pretty quickly.

All the best

Emma