Relative in Hospital

[timfoster]

Hi All,

Can anyone advise me about hospital records?

I have found the sister of my great-grandfather, Louisa Foster, on the 1901 census in Nottingham General Hospital. I want to find out why she was in hospital and what the circumstances were. I've tried calling the hospital records department but they (bizarrely!) claim that the Data Protection Act prevents them giving out any information. I did try explaining that I was looking for the details of somebody born in 1883, and that the records weren't computerised (and therefore not covered by the DPA anyway), but the person I spoke with seemed unable to help.
Is there anywhere else that I can find this information out?

[Sandyhall]

Hi All,

Can anyone advise me about hospital records?

I have found the sister of my great-grandfather, Louisa Foster, on the 1901 census in Nottingham General Hospital. I want to find out why she was in hospital and what the circumstances were. I've tried calling the hospital records department but they (bizarrely!) claim that the Data Protection Act prevents them giving out any information. I did try explaining that I was looking for the details of somebody born in 1883, and that the records weren't computerised (and therefore not covered by the DPA anyway), but the person I spoke with seemed unable to help.

Is there anywhere else that I can find this information out?

Hi
Have you tried the Nottingham Records Office, they might have the Records there or you could try Nottingham Family History Society. You should be able to find them if you "Google"

Sandy

[Kerrywood]

Can anyone advise me about hospital records?

I have found the sister of my great-grandfather, Louisa Foster, on the 1901 census in Nottingham General Hospital. I want to find out why she was in hospital and what the circumstances were.

Have a look at the National Archives' Hospital Records Database (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/search.asp)

Enter Nottingham General into the top box, and Search.

You'll probably find you can access administrative records such as admission/discharge, which may tell you what you want to know. But there is normally a 100-year closure rule on patient/clinical records, for privacy reasons.

Kerrywood

[timfoster]

Hi Folks,

I hadn't thought of trying the Nottingham records office. I thought they only held parish and council records.

Thanks Kerrywood. Your link was really helpful. I'm going to call the University on Monday. Your link took me to a page stating that the patient records are held at the University.

The records are restricted for 100 years (quite why 100, and not a sensible number like 25 years after death is another discussion), but as my great-grandfather's sister, Louisa, was in the hospital in 1901, I should be fine.

[sueannbowen]

How would the organisation releasing the information know that the subject had died 25 years earlier? Hospital records and death records are not reunited on the death of an individual, well not unless the individual died in the hospital that was treating her/him. 100 year rule makes it simpler to administer I guess.

[Kerrywood]

as my great-grandfather's sister, Louisa, was in the hospital in 1901, I should be fine.

Just a word of warning. Closed registers remain closed until 100 years after the last entry in that particular register. So in a worst-case scenario, your relative's admission may be recorded in a register that opens in 1901 but runs to 1909 or later. You would then not be able to see the actual record, but archives staff may agree to extract the data and transcribe it for you. Let's hope that's not the case here ;)

Kerrywood

[timfoster]

100 years after the register closes???? Great! |banghead| Hopefully I can sweet-talk the registrar tomorrow if that's the case.

Sue Ann, I don't really think that even 25 years after death is that relevant to be honest. If the records will be published anyway, they are a matter of fact. Perhaps the rule should be 25 years after the event.

I'm not a supporter of the "privacy" get out clauses in the UK. 25 years after an event is not likely to have any major impact on anyone's life. If disclosure of something would affect someones job/career, they should be disclosing it anyway. From a social point of view, an event occuring 25 years previously has very little bearing. I think people in the UK put far too much store in this perception of privacy. There should be more openness and more acceptance of who or what you are. If I was hospitalised because of something that was my own making, that's my fault. I should accept that and its consequences. If it was something beyond my control, why would I hide from it?

I'm not "having a go" at you (I just read this back, and it could be read as a confrontational statement). I'm just trying to make a case for more disclosure so that we could all benefit. |soapbox|