Access to Health Records Clerical Officer | Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; Halifax; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider in the United Kingdom seeks a specialist to manage subject access requests while ensuring compliance with GDPR and the Access to Health Records Act. This role requires excellent communication skills for interacting with patients and professionals while maintaining confidentiality. The ideal candidate must work both independently and as part of a team, ensuring requests are processed within strict timeframes. Flexibility in working hours is essential to support operations. Knowledge of healthcare systems is a plus.

Qualifications

• Demonstrates knowledge of GDPR and Health Records Act.
• Ability to manage sensitive communications with patients and agencies.
• Attention to detail in reviewing complex medical records.

Responsibilities

• Respond to subject access requests within legally recognized timeframes.
• Manage complex communications with patients and other stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR in the handling of health records.

Job description

To work as part of the Access to Health Records team working within and demonstrating a specialist knowledge of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Access to Health Records Act 1990 (AHRA) in respect of complex and sensitive requests for information from patients and other sources within the strict time frames and guidelines set by GDPR.

The post holder will ensure good communications are maintained across the service dealing with telephone/email and postal enquiries promptly and professionally.

To be able to work on own initiative, but also work closely as part of a team to be able to compile Subject Access Requests within the given timescales.

To provide a confidential and professional service in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

Flexibility of working is essential to support an extended day when necessary.

Responsibilities

• Respond to subject access requests (SARS) within the current legally recognised timeframes. This involves analysing electronic and paper records and producing documents for Patients, Solicitors, Police, Government Bodies, Other Hospitals, Coroner etc.
• Be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)/Access to Health Records Act (AHRA) and Trust policies in respect of the sharing of information.
• Logging all requests for access to health records on a database and keeping the database updated at each step of the process.
• Respond proactively to all Subject Access requests for patient information ensuring compliance with GDPR/AHRA and service level agreements. This may involve face-to-face liaisons with patients, patient’s relatives or police officers and may require completion of witness statements in relation to handing over medical records.
• Manage complex and sensitive verbal and written communication with patients, relatives and/or other parties or agencies in relation to subject access requests under GDPR/AHRA, including communication with healthcare professionals of all disciplines.
• Liaise with secretarial staff and consultants to ensure that authorisation is received so that requests are completed within one Calendar Month of receipt.
• Assist other medical and administrative staff with advice and guidance on the General Data Protection Regulation and the Access to Health Records Act 1990 where applicable.
• Use Mail merge processes to send out letters from the database.
• Undertake relevant training to ensure you have the correct skills and knowledge to investigate and be proficient in the use of an extensive range of Trust I.T systems relevant to obtain Subject Access Request information (e.g., EDMS, EPR, historic EDIS, historic PAS, CRIS, Athena).
• Compile information into folders on the shared drive.
• Tailor each individual subject access request in relation to the information requested, sometimes involving analysing several systems and paper medical records to identify the specific information required.
• Scrutinise medical records which may involve reviewing complex and distressing information, sometimes including graphic/disturbing images, requiring high levels of concentration and judgement regarding particularly sensitive data and highlighting this to the relevant clinician before releasing the medical records.
• Attention to detail is required for reviewing, checking, and collating the requested information and identifying all the correct documents, making preliminary checks for third party, and/or safeguarding records or misfiled or sensitive data, bringing it to the attention of the relevant clinician(s) or allied health professionals if identified prior to their checks.
• Be responsible for actively locating any missing information to prevent breaches under the General Data Protection Regulation, liaising with solicitors or other agencies if there is the potential to breach this deadline.
• Liaise with other stakeholders where a subject access request involves more than one service (e.g., Safeguarding, Complaints, e‑mails etc) and where necessary, to collate data provided by these services and merge these with other documents to be disclosed to the requester. In accordance with GDPR this can fall outside of the Health Record, e.g., Human resource records, I.T logs of staff access to different systems or e‑mails.

We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.

We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children’s and young people’s services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.

We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.

We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS – yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members – patients, staff and the local community.

Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.

This advert closes on Sunday 21 Dec 2025.