Requesting information from the HSE

There are 2 ways to access records held by the HSE:

FOI request - under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI)
Data subject access request - under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018

We can only provide information about services delivered directly by the HSE.

If you want to request personal data and records held by a hospital or an agency, you must make the request through that hospital or agency.

FOI requests

You have the right under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 to:

access personal or non-personal (corporate) records
have personal records changed or deleted if the information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading
request reasons for decisions made by the HSE that affect you

You can make a request in relation to any recorded information held by the HSE.

The type of information you can request includes:

non-personal information
personal records
sensitive health records
records about other people - such as a child or someone who has died

Read how to make an FOI request to the HSE

Data subject access requests

You have the right under GDPR to:

request a copy of your personal data used by the HSE
have your personal data changed or deleted

These rights are not absolute. This means there may be situations where a request cannot be granted. For example, if a request would have a negative impact on another person’s rights.

The type of personal information you can request includes records about:

hospital treatment
community services
screening services - such as CervicalCheck and BowelScreen
employment

You cannot request personal information about anyone else, including people who have died.

Read how to make a data subject access request to the HSE

Contact a HSE Data Protection Office