Access to your social care records

This explains why we keep social care records, what sort of information the records contain and how you can arrange to see your records if you want to.

Stockport Council's Adult Social Care services aim to protect and promote the wellbeing and rights of vulnerable people. We rely on receiving and sharing information so that we can look at your social care needs and then discuss with you the services that are available to meet them.

We do understand that for some people, giving even the most basic information about themselves is a very sensitive issue. We may also be given information about you by someone else, such as a member of your family or your doctor. We know that you quite rightly expect any information provided to be treated as confidential and we respect that.

What is in the records?

The type of information we keep will include details like your date of birth and your name and address. Depending upon the nature of the service that we provide we may also need to keep information of a more personal or sensitive nature like your personal circumstances, health, lifestyle and financial situation. We will also keep a record of meetings with you and others, any decisions made and services provided.

Sometimes these are kept in paper files or they could be held on a computer. Your records are always treated as confidential and are held securely and they can only be seen by the people who are directly concerned with assessing your needs or providing you with a service. We do not give them to anyone else unless we have your permission to do so. Some social care records are held for many years, others are destroyed after a period of time

Can I see them?

Yes, under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have the right to see a copy of the information that we hold about you. However, there are certain situations where this may not be possible and if this is the case we will tell you why.

If you want to find out what information Stockport Council holds about you then please contact us. Everyone has to pay a £10 charge to see their social care records. We will ask you for some information in writing to help us find your records and the easiest way to do this is for you to fill in a Subject Access Request Form (SAR). We can either email or post one to you, or follow the link below to print a copy. 

Subject Access Request Form (SAR)

 

What happens next?

Once we have received your completed form, the fee, proof of your identity and any supporting information we need, we will give you your personal information within 40 calendar days. Usually we will post copies to you, or you can make arrangements to look at your information at our offices in the presence of a member of staff.

However there are certain situations where we may not be able to let you have some or all of the information, for example if it mentions someone else, if giving you the information may cause you harm, or if it is needed for the prevention or detection of a crime. If we are unable to give you access to some information we will normally tell you why.

Useful contacts

Please note that links to websites will open in a new window.

Stockport Council (Data Protection & Freedom of Information Officer)
Address: Town Hall, Edward Street, Stockport SK1 3XE
Phone: 0161 474 4047
Web: www.stockport.gov.uk/dataprotection