Confidentiality Young people aged 13yrs and above.

Posted on May 16th, 2023

Respecting patient confidentiality is an essential part of good care; this applies when the patient is a child or young person as well as when the patient is an adult. Without the trust that confidentiality brings, children and young people might not seek medical care and advice, or they might not tell us all the facts needed to provide good care.

Young people aged 13 and above with capacity have the legal right to access their own health records and can allow or prevent access by others, including their parents. A child might of course achieve capacity earlier or later. In any event you should usually let children access their own health records. But they should not be given access to information that would cause them serious harm or any information about another person without the other person’s consent.

Parents can access their child’s medical records if the child or young person consents, or lacks capacity, and it does not go against the child’s best interests. If the records contain information given by the child or young person in confidence we would not disclose the information without the child’s consent.