Patient Rights and Subject Access Requests

Patients have rights over their personal information. In dental practice the right most likely to affect a dental nurse is the right of access, commonly called a subject access request. Patients may request copies of notes, radiographs, referral letters, complaints records, appointment histories or details of who has accessed their information.

A request does not need formal legal wording. Phrases such as "Can I have a copy of my records?" or "I want everything you hold about me" can trigger the process. A dental nurse should not ignore or argue about the request, nor promise an immediate release. The safe response is to acknowledge it, check identity using the approved process, record what was requested and pass it promptly to the person responsible.

Dental nurse first response

• Stay calm and respectful.
• Recognise that the patient may be making a legal rights request.
• Do not dismiss the request because it was made verbally.
• Check identity only through the approved process.
• Pass the request promptly to the person responsible for handling it.

Patients can also ask for information to be corrected or deleted. Dental records are usually retained for legal, clinical, contractual or professional reasons, so deletion is not a straightforward front-desk decision. The key action is to route the request to the appropriate lead.

Timescales and review

A patient rights request can be made in ordinary language. Recognise it, record it and route it quickly.