Public access to these records is governed by the UK Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, and the current Scottish Government Records Management: NHS Code of Practice (Scotland). Whilst some records may be accessed freely by researchers, the aforementioned legislation and guidelines mean that records containing sensitive information on named individuals may be closed to the public for a set time. Where records contain information relating to named deceased adults, they will be open 75 years after the latest date referenced in the record, on the next 01 January. Records containing sensitive information on individuals below 18 years of age or adults not proven to be deceased will be open 100 years after the latest date recorded in the record, on the next 01 January. Further information on legislation and guidelines covering medical records can be found on the LHSA webpage.

LHSA encourages the use of these records for legitimate clinical, historical and genealogical research purposes, and records that are designated as closed can be consulted if certain conditions are met. Please contact the LHSA Archivist for more details regarding procedures on how you can apply for permission to view closed records. Telephone us on: 0131 650 3392 or email us at lhsa@ed.ac.uk