There is no defined minimum age for the ability to access, and prevent others accessing, medical records. Young people, provided they have capacity, have the legal right to access their own health records and can allow or prevent access by others, including their parents. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland anyone aged 16, and in Scotland those aged 12 or over, are legally presumed to already have such capacity. Those under that age must demonstrate they have sufficient understanding of what is proposed. A child may achieve capacity earlier or later. In any event children should be able to access their own health records but they should not be given access to information that would cause them serious harm.<\/p>
Parents should be allowed access to their child\u2019s medical records if the child or young person consents, or lacks capacity, and it does not go against the child\u2019s best interests. If the records contain information given by the child or young person in confidence, this information should not normally be disclosed without their consent.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4019", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-07T15:01:25.83Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Medical Records: Children"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum age at which children have the legal right to access their own medical records and to allow or prevent access by others, including their parents; and at what age parents can no longer access their child\u2019s medical records without that child\u2019s written consent.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/259", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "The Marquess of Lothian"} ], "uin" : "HL15330"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }