60 Bradford Road
Huddersfield
HD1 6JE
Tel: 01484 531964
Email: huddsdental@outlook.com

Updated: 17.08.2026
                                                                                                                   Reviewed: 

Access to information held by the practice

The Practice may be asked by members of the public to disclose information, documents or records held by the practice. Requests for personal information are made under the Data Protection Act and under Freedom of Information legislation for information about the NHS services provided by the practice.

Requests for personal information or for information about the practice that is not included in the practice information leaflet should be passed to Miss Julie Dawson; Practice manager

The following summary describes who can request information, how the request should be made and how the practice will handle such requests.

Requests for personal information

Personal information is any information, note or record that allows an individual to be identified. The individual does not have to be named but if they can be identified by cross referencing the information with other data held by the practice (a patient database, for example) the information is regarded as personal information. 

Date protection legislation allows individuals to request access to their personal information. Those eligible to request access include: 

 •	A person aged 16 years or older

 •	The parents or guardians of a child under the age of 16 years and in connection with the health and welfare needs of the child

 •	A child under the age of 16 years who has the capacity to understand the information held by the practice. Children aged 11 years and under are deemed too young

 •	A third party, such as a solicitor, who has the written consent of individual concerned – checks should be undertaken to ensure that the consent is genuine – for example, by checking the patient’s signature or contacting the patient directly to confirm that they have given consent for the information to be disclosed.

If a request concerns information about a deceased person, those eligible to request access include:

 •	The administrator or executor of the deceased person’s estate

 •	A person who has a legal claim arising from the person’s death – the next of kin, for example. The person should specify the nature of their legal claim and why the information requested is relevant to that claim.

If the information requested includes information about third parties, it can be disclosed if the third party gives consent or is a health professional involved in the care of the patient. 

Access to information can be denied if:

 •	Disclosure is likely to cause severe distress to the individual, for example, where the information relates to a person’s mental health or mental capacity. However, disclosure of dental records is unlikely to cause severe distress.
 •	The individual has made more than one request within a reasonably short timescale and the information has not changed significantly.

Records may include details about a third party, for example where they have provided information that forms part of the record. It may be reasonable to disclose details of a third party but it may be more appropriate to remove them (by redacting the relevant text).

Information about third parties (if it forms part of the record) can be disclosed where:

 •	The third party has given consent
 •	The third party is a health professional involved in the care of the individual
 •	There would be no prejudicial effect upon the third party

The request:

The request must be made in writing or email and the individual making the request should describe the type of information required with dates, if possible, and include sufficient information such as their name, address and date of birth. 

Checks will be made about the person asking for information whether he/she has the right to do so and, if necessary, ask for proof of identity. 

Requested information will be provided within 40 days of receiving the request; once all checks and eligibility has been confirmed. 

The information: 

There are no charges for Data Protection Requests

Requested information will be provided within 40 days of receiving the request; once all checks and eligibility has been confirmed. 

The Information provided:

Generally, the individual will be given a permanent copy of the information requested as a photocopy of information held, manually or a print out of the electronic information. Permanent copies will not be provided if the individual agrees to view the original version under practice supervision. This should only be done on the practice premises to ensure that the integrity of the record is maintained and that the confidential information about other people is not inadvertently disclosed.

We will provide the information in a way that can be understood by the individual making the requests and may need to provide an explanation to accompany dental clinical notes.  
Requests for Information About the Practice:

Any member of the public can request, under the Freedom of Information Act, information associated with the provision of NHS services. The available information is described fully in the practice guide to information available under FOIA and the model publication scheme where the information requested is part of a larger document, only the relevant part will be disclosed. 

Unfounded or excessive requests:

If we refuse to respond to a request, we will explain the reasons and informing the individual of their right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office and to a judicial remedy.

A freedom of information request cannot include clinical records or financial records. 

The request:

The request must be made in writing or by email and should describe the of information that they want and with dates if possible; and confirmation of their name and address and date of birth. The individual making the request does not have to give a reason.

The charges for information provided under a freedom of information request are included in the practice guide and the model publication scheme

We will provide Information within 40 days of receiving the request or confirmation of identity or, if applicable, from the receipt of the fee. An extension may be possible if we need more information about the request or are taking legal advice on whether an exemption applies. We will inform the individual making the request if we need to extend the 40-day deadline.

The information:

Most of the information covered by a freedom of information request is available in the practice information leaflet or on the practice website. Requests for other information should be referred to Miss Julie Dawson (Practice Manager)

 If we do not hold the information requested, we will inform the individual within the 40-day time limit. 

We will provide information in a way that is convenient for the individual who requested it, which may be in writing, by allowing the applicant to read it on the premises, or, if the information is held electronically, in a useable electronic format.

We are not required to respond to 

 •	Vexatious requests for information, for example, requests that are designed to cause inconvenience, harassment or expense. 
 •	Repeated requests for the same or similar information (unless the information changes regularly, for example performance or activity information)

In either situation, you should seek advice from Miss Julie Dawson