peppa

hi,
can anyone advise if we need full medical records to bring over with us?
only our doctor won't part with the originals here in UK, and wants 25p per page to give the family copies of them!
thanks!

Stitch

I was thinking of asking for a detailed summary. Not too sure if they'll oblige. Would welcome any comments?

Cheers

Ginny

CORKER

Aren't the records technically yours....tell him to give you them so you can

change doctors..

or can't you get a copy via the data protection act thingy...

CORKER

karenjc

I was told I'd have to pay £50 for a copy of my medical records! So guess what.... I'm going without them. I suppose I could send for them if needed once arrived but nothing really serious has happened to me so they are not that interesting anyway!!!
Karen x

peppa

i did ask for the originals but was told they didnt belong to the surgery but to the state or something so i couldn't get them.

if you change doctors in the UK, then they go to some clearing place, before getting sent to your new doctors.

as you can see my doctors is not the most helpful on this, so appreciate your advice before forking out more cash for loads of photocopies if I can get away with less!

thanks!!

artep

We got all of ours (5 of us) before we came...including the kids immuntisation records etc and it cost us nearly £80!!!! I suppose I was just erring on the side of caution. But i wish I hadn't bothered with any of it....none of the schools have asked for any proof of jabs etc.

ABCDiamond

The Doctors aren't normally interested in seeing your old records, unless it is for some unusual condition where your records may be useful.

Has anyone needed to give records to a Doctor over here ?

pootle26

my doctors in the uk did a "screen dump" of our records - its like a brief summary that they usually print off to take when they do home visits - it has all the info that is needed - they went back 3 years i think - it also included immunisations - regular medication/conditions etc
they didnt charge me for it at all & it has been sufficient for the school & docs etc.
i didnt speak to the doctor - i phoned the receptionist & spoke to her - i collected it 2 days before we went to oz - (just incase we saw the doc in between her doing it & us going)

i would phone again - put on your nicest voice & see if they wiull help

hth

pootle26

peppa

thanks, they did mention a summary page thing, so if i can get by on that I'll give it a go.

as long as I've got my maternity notes close by in my hand luggage, then i should be okay..!

Ozzidoc

This is REALLY easy for them to do - it doesn't even take them 5 seconds.
(The common computer package is called "EMIS", if anyone is interested.)

You'll only be doing it for peace of mind.

Growing up in Oz I was at the same surgery from age 7 - 17, then afterwards at any old place for the next ten years. ie I must have had some form of medical records at a dozen different places.

flip

Took the kids red books (health record given by health visitor and updated for immunisations, etc) which I had updated at the docs before I left.

Didn't advise docs officially so we could stay on the register in case we ever go back. Very good doctor and hard to get on his list.

ABCDiamond

When I left in 1986, and then returned in 1996, I hadn't told my doctor that I had left, but when I got back, I found I had been removed from his list and my file sent somewhere into neverland.

steandleigh

I approached the doctor (whilst still in the uk) and was told we couldn't take them - they belong to the state. However, they would photcopy then for 50p a page!!! Bloody cheek. Luckily for us, a family friend worked at the surgery and she did it on the sly for nothing, fo us!

Haven't had to use ours here (ste and I) but needed the kids ones for their Immunisation records, in addition to the red health books we brought over with us.

Ceri

They do the same with local Dentist practices, records, no file etc.

When we went back earlier this year for a holiday, my hubby tried to get into his old dentist practice for a check up ( over 13 yrs ago he last saw this UK dentist), nope - and the file/history had long since gone when he asked for it.

I did not try the doctors when I went back , but apparently they keep sending check up notices to my old address in the UK for routine smear tests - so I'm still on their file for some reason ( haven't been to this practice for well over 13 yrs when I left the UK), but they still have my file.

P.S no, I've never personally never needed any of my UK history/medical files here.

Trekrider

When my wife told our doctor's surgery that we were going to Oz she was told that our files would all be sent to a central 'dead records' department from which they never return.

This posed the question for us that when we have a medical in Oz for our PR visa (having come out on a 457) and fill in the forms of what to put, as the Oz authorities have no way of checking up on the validity of it. This means you could have had some major illnesses in the past and if you don't mention them they will never know and have no way of finding out! This isn't a problem for us as we have nothing to hide but for some it could be.