When patients, their representatives, or other third parties ask for copies of their medical records, data controllers should be aware that some information from these notes may need to be redacted (or 'blanked-out').
Redaction should be considered for information that relates to third parties, or which could cause serious harm to the patient or others if it were disclosed.
Identifying what third-party information should be removed can be difficult. The extent of redaction will depend on who has asked for the records, who the third party is, and where that information came from.

The MDU does not normally require patient-identifiable information when advising on medico-legal matters like complaints. Read our separate guide if you need information on what to send us if you receive a claim.

Unless we specifically request otherwise, please provide us with relevant and anonymised information that refers only to the patient's initials and date of birth.

Patients or their representatives have the right to request access to their medical records. This is known as a subject access request (SAR). The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published more information about SARs here.

Information likely to cause serious harm

When complying with an SAR, it's important to understand what information can and can't be released.

For example, under the Data Protection Act 2018, access can be limited or denied if it would be 'likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the data subject or another individual', unless it is information of which the patient is already aware. In such cases, there must first be an assessment by the doctor responsible for the patient's care, and this should be recorded.

The threshold for serious harm redactions is relatively high and therefore information cannot be excluded simply because it may be harmful to your position or it might upset the patient.

Third-party data

Another exemption relates to third-party data. In our experience, many doctors are uncertain about what to redact from patients' records when responding to a SAR.

The general starting point is that you should redact part of the record or withhold specific documents that relate to third parties - such as another individual who can be identified - unless you're able to get consent from the third party. An example of this might be information disclosed in confidence from a relative of a patient, without the patient's knowledge.

The ICO's guidance addresses how to manage SARs when some of the information relates to people other than the data subject.

Each case of third-party redaction needs to be considered individually. Below are common questions raised by MDU members about redacting third party information before disclosing patient notes.

How much data should I remove?

The ICO advises that data controllers are obliged to communicate as much of the information requested as they can without disclosing the third-party individual's identity.

The extent of the redaction will very much depend on how much third-party information is in the notes and how easy it is to remove any information that might identify a third party.

Can I just remove names?

The short answer is no, because often the third party will still be identifiable from other information in the records. As such, data controllers may need to redact entire sentences or paragraphs if the third party can still be identified from the context. Sometimes, entire documents may need redaction if they primarily relate to a third party.

What about third-party information provided by patients?

If information about a third party is in the notes because the patient has provided that information and they are making the SAR, then redacting this won't be necessary. This is because the patient will not be given any new information that is unknown to them.

For example, if a patient tells you that their mother misuses drugs, this does not need redacting. If, on the other hand, the patient's notes show that the patient's mother had confided in the doctor that they thought the patient misuses drugs, then this information may need to be redacted.

However, if the SAR is made by someone else on behalf of the patient, then even third-party references that originate from the patient would need to be redacted. In keeping with ICO guidance, redactions should be made on a case-by-case basis.

Do I need to remove details of healthcare professionals involved in the patient's care?

Again, the short answer is usually no. The ICO's guidance states that it is reasonable to disclose information about a healthcare professional without their consent if the record contains information about the healthcare professional involved in contributing to the record or to the diagnosis, care or treatment of that patient.

However, if the patient's mother happens to be a healthcare professional and has provided information that has been incorporated into the notes, without the patient's knowledge, this would need to be removed before disclosing the records, as she is not acting in her professional capacity.

How do I make redactions to patients' notes?

For digital documents, the methods of redaction can vary depending on software, format, file type and so on. Regardless of the method used, it's important to make sure that your redactions cannot simply be removed or undone with a few clicks.

If you're providing hard copies of the patient notes, then we would suggest that you print out the relevant documents, blank out the sections that require redaction with a solid black marker pen or liquid paper, and then photocopy these to send out to the requestor.

This last step is suggested to prevent someone being able to read the redacted information through the back of the paper as words can often still be deciphered if the page is held up to a light source.

It's also important to keep a clear record of exactly what has been disclosed (and what has been redacted) and to whom.

We encourage members to contact us to discuss cases where redactions may be necessary.

Redacting third-party information from notes

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