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Hi.
I recently had an eye test at an optician (big chain) and got a prescription for new glasses (different lenses).
I asked for a copy of my file but they refused. I have a type of cancer which can spread to the brain, i.e. brain metastases, and I think they're afraid I might try and take them to court if I later develop brain mets, saying they should have spotted the brain mets etc. That is absolutely not what I am planning to do, I am just looking for work in another part of the country and I already had to take a train (1 hour trip each way) to attend my appointment!
I've looked online (for example https://guidance.college-optometrist...tient-records/ ) and it looks like, in the UK, patient files are not owned by the patient but by the practice (unlike in my country, where I successfully threatened a hospital with legal action if they refused to give me my files back - I wanted to move to another hospital, and ended up having to do all the tests, MRIs, biopsies, a second time, while the first hospital was trying to convince me to let them treat me). I find that odd, and really inconvenient.
I am not trying to flag any mistake on their part, but I'm afraid that what's they think I want to do. The cancer hospital where I'm monitored is overseas so it's not convenient for me to ask them to ask the opticians to forward the records to them, especially as Covid 19 has made their work more difficult (some of the staff are sleeping 5 or 6 nights out of 7 at the hospital as they fear they might catch the virus on public transport, or from people in their household). Repeating tests isn't very helpful (doctors look at the evolution) and it's both time consuming and costly!
I recently had an eye test at an optician (big chain) and got a prescription for new glasses (different lenses).
I asked for a copy of my file but they refused. I have a type of cancer which can spread to the brain, i.e. brain metastases, and I think they're afraid I might try and take them to court if I later develop brain mets, saying they should have spotted the brain mets etc. That is absolutely not what I am planning to do, I am just looking for work in another part of the country and I already had to take a train (1 hour trip each way) to attend my appointment!
I've looked online (for example https://guidance.college-optometrist...tient-records/ ) and it looks like, in the UK, patient files are not owned by the patient but by the practice (unlike in my country, where I successfully threatened a hospital with legal action if they refused to give me my files back - I wanted to move to another hospital, and ended up having to do all the tests, MRIs, biopsies, a second time, while the first hospital was trying to convince me to let them treat me). I find that odd, and really inconvenient.
I am not trying to flag any mistake on their part, but I'm afraid that what's they think I want to do. The cancer hospital where I'm monitored is overseas so it's not convenient for me to ask them to ask the opticians to forward the records to them, especially as Covid 19 has made their work more difficult (some of the staff are sleeping 5 or 6 nights out of 7 at the hospital as they fear they might catch the virus on public transport, or from people in their household). Repeating tests isn't very helpful (doctors look at the evolution) and it's both time consuming and costly!
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