Large Primes

[Adrian Midgley]

On Monday 19 August 2002 00:23, you wrote:

> (ps what does SEP stand for?)
Somebody Else's Problem

> Hmmm... I'd like to know all my ancestors' medical records, for curiosi=
ty
> as well as medical and other similar reasons, but I wouldn't want them
> available to everyone.
>
> What happens to medical records after the patient dies?

Well, in general you don't have any rights to view them that anybody else=
=20
doesn't have, and I can think of cases where some of the content would no=
t=20
have been wanted passed tot eh descendants.

We return them to the secretary of state, actually the health authirty or=
=20
PCT, who have to keep them for a while, I think 25 years or so, but in so=
me=20
cases that long after the last child reaches 18 or 21 or some such.

In practice nobody has any way of keeping track so they all get kept for =
the=20
longest time anyone can think of, probably in vast mouldering heaps in a=20
rat-infested cavern.

in between, they send them back to us, and we keep the whole thing until =
the=20
shelf we allocate for that is full, then ship last year's back to the SoS=
'=20
representative.

Curiously, what with all this long-term keeping, if you tell HM Customs a=
nd=20
Immigration that you are leaving the country and won't be back, they tell=
 the=20
NHS which destroys your records after 3 years.

So if there is anythuing in there you want to lose...

=20
--=20
=46rom one of the Linux desktops of Dr Adrian Midgley=20
http://www.defoam.net/            =20