Make a Subject Access Requests (SAR) from Health and Care Jersey

About Subject Access Requests (SARs)

The Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018  provides individuals with rights over their personal data, one of which is the right to access.

This means you can ask for a copy of the personal information that an organisation holds about you.

This guidance applies to requests for information held by Health and Care Jersey (HCJ).

HCJ holds records about your:

health
wellbeing
social care
mental health

We also process requests for information on behalf of Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) for information held by:

Children's Social Care (CSC)
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

For information held by other departments, find out how to make a Subject Access Request (SAR).

Information you can ask for

You can ask for any personal information about yourself or someone you have authority to ask about.

You can ask:

if your personal data is being processed by HCJ
why your data is being processed
the categories of personal data held
who your data has been shared with, or may be shared with
how long the data is likely to be kept for
where the data was collected from, if it was not collected directly by HCJ
about any automated decision-making about your data and the reasoning behind it
about safeguards in place when information is transferred outside Europe or to an international organisation
who has accessed your health or social care records and why they accessed them

What you can't ask for

SARs provide information about you or someone you’re authorised to ask about.

You should submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request if you want information about how HCJ:

makes decisions
manages services
spends money
carries out its functions

Find more information about Freedom of Information (FOI) and how to make a request.

Redactions and exemptions

There is some information we can’t disclose.

This includes:

personal details about other people where you do not have authority, or their consent to access them
information that is subject to ongoing court proceedings or law enforcement proceedings
information which would prejudice public functions or other information considered confidential

If any information has been removed (redacted) or withheld, we'll explain this when we provide your records.

Keeping records

We don’t keep information forever.

We have record retention schedules that set out how long we need to keep different types of information for. We also maintain registers of archived records and documents.

We manage records in line with any legislation and standards that relate to information.

For example, we keep financial records for audit purposes, and we transfer records of historical or public importance to Jersey Archive for safe-keeping or preservation.

How we manage your request

The personal information you provide for the purpose of responding to your request will be processed by the HCJ Information Governance team.

Our team will:

verify your identity
verify any authority you have to request another person's records we may also check with that they’re happy for their information to be released
clarify the scope of your request where necessary
advise you of expected timescales
notify you if an extension is needed if the request is complex
provide records in your preferred format where possible

Find more information on how your information is processed in the Health and Care Jersey Subject Access Request privacy policy.

Disclosing your records

You can ask for your records to be disclosed:

digitally
on paper
by post
for collection

Digital disclosure

If you ask for your records to provided digitally, we use the secure Egress system. We'll send you a secure link where you can view or download your records.

Paper copies

Paper health and social care records can be large and difficult to handle, particularly where they cover a long period of time.

There are also financial and environmental impacts associated with printing large volumes of paper records. We encourage you to choose digital delivery where possible.

Radiology images

Radiology images, include:

MRI scans
CT (CAT) scans
X-rays

We provide radiology images through the Image Exchange Portal (IEP) or on CD-ROM.

For IEP transfers, we send a link to your email address and send a password separately by text message.

How much it costs

You don’t need to pay to access your records.

We may apply an administrative charge if you request additional paper copies of the records.

Before making your request

You can only request personal information about either yourself or someone you have a right to ask about.

Before we can release records, we must verify your identity.

You can do this by providing either:

a photo or scan of your photo identification (ID)
sufficient personal information to enable us to verify your identity through security questions

Submit a SAR

Complete our online form to submit your SAR from Health and Care Jersey (HCJ).

Submit a Subject Access Request from HCJ

You can also email ig@health.gov.je, call +44 (0) 1534 444273 or submit it by post:

HCJ Information Governance
Peter Crill House
Gloucester Street
St Helier
JE1 3QS

For information held by other departments, find out how to make a Subject Access Request (SAR).

You don’t need to tell us why you want the information. However, understanding the context can help us identify the most appropriate records to respond to your request.

You should provide:

a clear description of the information you need
relevant dates or timeframes

For example:

'All neurology records from January 2020 to March 2025'
'The discharge summary from my inpatient admission in June 2024'

We can usually process requests for a specific event, episode of care or timeframe more quickly than requests for records from all HCJ services held throughout your whole lifetime.

If you need help writing your request or more guidance on the information we can provide contact us.

Timescales

The law states that you are entitled to a response without undue delay and in any event within 4 weeks.

It may take us longer than 4 weeks if the information you request is complex and requires the application of exemptions before we can disclose it.  

We'll either:

disclose the records within 4 weeks
contact you to apply an extension and provide a new deadline

If your request is urgent, let us know in your application and we'll do our best to accommodate your requirement.

Records for children or another person

Children

Parents can access records for children aged under 13 if they can evidence they have parental responsibility.

For children aged 13 or over, we'll ask their consent to release records to you, unless they lack capacity due to complex needs.

Another person

If you're requesting records on behalf of another person, you must provide evidence of either:

their consent
your authority to do so

This includes evidence that the person is happy for you to access the records and either:

you have parental responsibility
hold a role in their life, such as an advocate within the Lasting Power of Attorney process

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

Having a role as an advocate for a person under an LPA doesn't entitle you to full access to their records. It lets you make decisions on behalf of the person if they lack capacity.

Applications based on an LPA must be proportionate to a decision-making requirement, and we may:

verify that the person lacks capacity
ask for their consent where possible
consider any recorded wishes relating to information sharing

We may refuse an application if we have concerns about the validity of the request.

Records relating to a deceased

We treat requests for deceased individuals' records as SARs even though they’re not covered by Data Protection legislation.

You have the right to access deceased records if you're either:

a close relative of the deceased person
the executor of the deceased person's will

We’ll ask you to provide evidence of your connection to the deceased person. This may include:

a birth certificate if accessing your parent’s records
a marriage certificate if accessing your spouse’s records
paperwork issued to executors of wills

If the deceased individual expressed concerns about sharing their information, whether all or in part, before their death, we’ll consider those wishes when deciding whether to disclose their records.

For further advice contact us.