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Request for the health records of someone who has died (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English
€2.00This document is sold blank, to print and complete by hand.
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
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This document is sold blank, to print and complete by hand.
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For the executor or administrator of someone who has died, or a person who may have a claim arising out of the death, in England, Wales or Scotland. An application under section 3(1)(f) of the Access to Health Records Act 1990 to a GP practice, hospital or health board: it names the patient, says in which capacity you apply, lists the records wanted and recalls the Act's 21-day and 40-day time limits. Enclose the death certificate and your evidence. Posted first class. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it concerns health records.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- Your parent has died and, as executor, you want their hospital records in England, Wales or Scotland.
- You have questions about the care a relative received before they died.
- The GP surgery will not give you a late relative's records without a formal application.
- You are dealing with a family member's estate and need their medical notes.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Recipient
- Recipient's address
- Recipient's postcode
- Full name of the person who has died
- Date of birth of the person who has died
- Date of death
- NHS number, CHI number (Scotland) or Health and Care Number (Northern Ireland), if known
- Capacity in which you apply
- Information requested
Common questions
- Who can ask for the health records of someone who has died?
- Under the Access to Health Records Act 1990, the deceased's personal representative (the executor named in the will, or the administrator of the estate; in Scotland, the executor, whether named in the will or appointed by the sheriff court) and anyone who may have a claim arising out of the death. A personal representative does not need to show a claim; a claimant sees only the records relevant to the claim. Next of kin have no right as such, though the record holder may choose to share information. Records the patient asked to keep confidential are not disclosed.
- How long does the record holder have, and is there a free form?
- The Act gives 21 days where the record was added to in the 40 days before your application, and 40 days otherwise. Many NHS trusts, health boards and GP practices publish their own free application form for a deceased patient's records; use it if they ask you to. Enclose the death certificate, proof of your identity, and evidence that you are the personal representative or of your claim.
- Why is this not a subject access request?
- The UK GDPR protects only living people, so a request for a deceased person's records is made under the Access to Health Records Act 1990, which applies in England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland has its own order. If you have concerns about the care the person received, an NHS complaint in England, a concern in Wales or a complaint under the NHS Scotland complaints procedure is a separate step from this request.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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