Guideline: Records of the deceased

Historically, applications for records relating to deceased people were primarily for medical records. However, these requests are becoming more common in other contexts, involving agencies other than Hospital and Health Services. In recognition of this, we have updated our guideline to be a more general resource for agencies processing applications capturing these records.

Applications for records of deceased people covers common public interest factors which arise in these of applications, as well as types of applicants, circumstances which may give rise to these applications, and specific kinds of documents, including medical records. It also refers to many of the key decisions in this area, which we hope decision makers will find helpful.

The guideline's companion information sheet, which is currently Applying for medical records of the deceased, will be updated shortly.

For more information, contact the Office of the Information Commissioner's Enquiries Service on 07 3234 7373 (select option 1).