Which piece of legislation excludes health records as a source of information that can be made available on a person's request?

• A. Freedom of Information Act
• B. Data Protection Act
• C. Access to Health Records Act 1990
• D. Public Records Act

Answer: (A)

The main idea is understanding how information rights differ for general information versus personal health data. The Freedom of Information Act allows access to information held by public authorities, but it does not provide a route to obtain an individual’s health records. Health information is treated as personal data and is protected, so access to it is not granted through FOI; instead, you would use the Data Protection Act (subject access to your own data) or the Access to Health Records Act 1990 (which specifically covers health records held by health service bodies). The Public Records Act deals with public archives, not personal health records. So the act that effectively excludes health records as a source of information you can request is the Freedom of Information Act.