Can a Kinship Carer Access a Child's Medical Records in England?

When you are caring for a relative's child full-time, you need to know their medical history — allergies, medications, immunisation status, ongoing conditions. But getting access to that information as an informal kinship carer in England is not always as straightforward as walking into the GP surgery and asking.

The General Rule

Medical records are confidential. Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, a child's health records can only be shared with someone who has a lawful basis to access them.

For children too young to make their own decisions about data access, the right to access their records sits with the person who holds Parental Responsibility. If you do not have PR — and as an informal kinship carer, you do not unless you have a court order — the GP practice may hesitate to share records directly with you.

What You Can Access in Practice

The picture is more nuanced than a blanket refusal. As the child's day-to-day carer, several routes exist:

Information shared during appointments. When you bring the child to a GP appointment, the clinician can share relevant clinical information with you during the consultation. This is standard safeguarding practice — the professional needs to communicate with whoever is managing the child's care. You do not need PR to be told the outcome of a consultation or to receive instructions for medication.

Parental delegation. If the parent has given you a signed delegation letter under Section 2(9) of the Children Act 1989, you can present this to the GP practice as evidence that the parent authorises you to manage the child's health care. A practice may share relevant information for the child's care, subject to the child's confidentiality rights; the letter does not give you Parental Responsibility or online NHS App proxy access.

The child's own consent. If the child is Gillick competent — mature enough to understand what sharing their records means — they can consent to their records being shared with you. For older children and teenagers, this is often the simplest route.

Subject access request through the parent. The parent can make a Subject Access Request under the UK GDPR to obtain a copy of the child's records and then share them with you. This is a workaround, but it works if the parent is cooperative.

When the GP Practice Refuses

Some practices take a cautious position and refuse to share any information with someone who does not hold PR. If this happens:

1. Present your delegation letter. A signed letter from the parent explicitly authorising you to manage health appointments and receive medical information is the strongest practical evidence.

2. Ask to speak with the practice manager. Front-desk staff may not be familiar with informal kinship care arrangements. The practice manager or a senior clinician is more likely to understand the legal framework.

3. Reference NHS England guidance. NHS England's primary care policy supports a child's access to GP care; it does not give an informal carer a right to the child's records. Record sharing must respect the child's confidentiality and the authority of the person entitled to access the information. Explain what is needed for the child's care and ask the clinician what can be shared.

4. Escalate to the Integrated Care Board. If the practice continues to refuse, you can raise a complaint with the local Integrated Care Board (ICB). The ICB oversees GP practices and can intervene where a practice is not meeting its obligations.

What You Cannot Access Without PR

Full copies of the child's complete medical record — the entire GP2GP file — require consent from someone with PR (or the child, if Gillick competent). This is different from receiving clinical information during consultations, which happens as part of routine care.

If you need the full record — for example, to share with a specialist, a school nurse, or a social worker — the parent's cooperation or a court order is the practical route.

Building Records Access Into the Arrangement

When setting up a written agreement with the parent, include a specific clause authorising you to receive the child's medical information and attend health appointments. This single line in a delegation letter prevents most access disputes before they start. The England kinship consent guide walks through how to structure this alongside the other consent and delegation steps.

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