Appendix II Retention schedule: Care records
This appendix sets out the retention period for different types of records relating to health and care.
The tables below sets out the retention periods for different types of records relating to care records. The retention periods listed in this retention schedule must always be considered the minimum period. Where indicated, Appendix III should also be referred to.
Adult health records not covered by any other section in this schedule
| Record type | Adult health records not covered by any other section in this schedule (includes medical illustration records such as x-rays and scans as well as video and other formats. Also includes care plans) |
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 8 years |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | Records involving pioneering or innovative treatment may have archival value, and their long term preservation should be discussed with the local PoD or The National Archives. Also refer to Appendix III: ambulance service records. |
Children’s records (including midwifery, health visiting and school nursing)
| Record type | Children’s records (including midwifery, health visiting and school nursing) : can include medical illustrations, as well as video and audio formats |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Up to 25th or 26th birthday |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | Retain until 25th birthday, or 26th if the patient was 17 when treatment ended. |
Clinical records that pre-date the NHS
| Record type | Clinical records that pre-date the NHS (July 1948) |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Disposal action | Review and transfer to PoD |
| Notes | Contact your local PoD to arrange review and transfer. Records not selected by the PoD must be securely destroyed. |
Dental records: clinical care records
| Record type | Dental records: clinical care records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 11 years (note this changed from 15 years in May 2023 following legal advice) |
| Disposal action | Review, and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | Based on Limitations Act 1980. This applies to all dental care settings and the BSA. This also includes FP17 or FP17O forms. |
Electronic Patient Record Systems (EPR)
| Record type | Electronic Patient Record Systems (EPR) |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Refer to notes |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | Where the system has the capacity to destroy records in line with the retention schedule, and where a metadata stub can remain, demonstrating the destruction, then the Code should be followed in the same way for digital as well as paper records with a log kept of destruction. If the EPR does not have this capacity, then once records reach the end of their retention period, they should be made inaccessible to system users upon decommissioning. The system, along with the audit trails, should be retained for the retention period of the last entry related to the schedule |
GP patient records: deceased patients
| Record type | GP patient records: deceased patients |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 10 years |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | Confidentiality generally continues after death and records should be retained for medico-legal and possible public interest, for example, research reasons. Review retention after 10 years when possible medico-legal reasons will lapse under requirements of the Limitation Act 1980. Destroy if the record holds no value for researchers. Also refer to Appendix III: GP records. |
GP patient records: living patients
| Record type | GP patient records: living patients |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Continual retention |
| Notes | f the patient has not been seen for 10 years, or a request for transfer to a new GP has not been received, the GP practice should check the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) for indication of death or other reason for no contact. If there is no reason to suggest no contact, then the record must be kept by the GP practice. If however they have: 1. Died - refer to the retention table section for GP patient records: deceased patients. 2. Transferred to a new practice - transfer the record to the new practice and delete the record, where possible, once it has transferred (refer to 5.3 of the Code on deletion of records). 3. De-registered and the reason is not known – refer to the retention table section for GP patient records: de-registered cases where the reason is unknown. Also refer to Appendix III GP records. |
GP patient records: de-registered cases where the reason is unknown
| Record type | GP patient records: de-registered cases where the reason is unknown |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 100 years |
| Disposal action | Review and dispose of if no longer required |
| Notes | These are cases where the patient has de-registered from the practice, but the reason is unknown. It would be good practice for GPs to check if there is a reason for de-registration (death, missed registration at another practice, emigration etc.). It is not suggested that a retrospective check be carried out, but it would be good practice going forward to conduct a check for these cases. Once checked under General Medical Services (GMS) regulations, records should be sent to NHSE via Primary Care Support England (PCSE) operational processes. (Also refer to Appendix III: GP records. |
GP patient registrations form
| Record type | GP patient registrations form |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 6 years after the year of registration |
| Disposal action | Review and dispose of if no longer required |
| Notes | These need to be kept for 6 years as GP per capita payments are made based on registered patient numbers. Most GP practices scan the form into the patient’s electronic record once it is created. The paper form can be destroyed securely once the minimum retention period has been reached, unless there is another reason to keep the form longer, this would be identified at the review stage. |
Integrated records: all organisations contribute to the same single instance of the record
| Record type | Integrated records: all organisations contribute to the same single instance of the record |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Retain for period of longest speciality |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | The retention time will vary depending upon which type of health and care settings have contributed to the record. Areas that use this model must have a way of identifying the longest retention period applicable to the record |
Integrated records: all organisations contribute to the same record, but keep a level of separation
| Record type | Integrated records: all organisations contribute to the same record, but keep a level of separation (refer to notes) |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Retain for relevant specialty period |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | This is where all organisations contribute into the same record system but have their own area to contribute to and the system still shows a contemporaneous view of the patient record |
Integrated records: all organisations keep their own records, but enable them to be viewed by other organisations
| Record type | Integrated records: all organisations keep their own records, but enable them to be viewed by other organisations |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | Retain for relevant specialty period |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | This is the most likely model currently in use. Organisations keep their own records on their patients or service users but can grant 'view only' access to other organisations, to help them provide health and care to patients or service users |
Mental health records including psychology records
| Record type | Mental health records including psychology records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 20 years, or 10 years after death |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | Covers records made under the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 and 2007 amendments. Records retained solely for any person who has been sectioned under MHA1983 must be considered for longer than 20 years where the case is ongoing, or the potential for recurrence is high, based on local clinical judgment. This applies to records of patients or service users, regardless of whether they have capacity or not |
Obstetrics, maternity, antenatal and postnatal records
| Record type | Obstetrics, maternity, antenatal and postnatal records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 25 years |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | For record keeping purposes, these are considered to be as much the child’s record as the parent, so the longer retention period should be considered. |
Prison health records
| Record type | Prison health records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 10 years |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | A summary of their prison healthcare is sent to the person’s new GP upon release and the record should be considered closed at the point of release. These records are unlikely to have long term archival value and should be retained by the organisations providing care in the prison, or successor organisations if the running of the service changes hands. |
Cancer/oncology records: any patient*
| Record type | Cancer/oncology records: any patient* |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 30 years, or 8 years after death |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | Retention for these records begins at diagnosis rather than the end of operational use. For clinical care reasons, these records must be retained longer in case of re-occurrence. Where the oncology record is part of the main records, then the entire record must be retained. |
Contraception, sexual health, family planning, Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM)
| Record type | Contraception, sexual health, family planning, Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 8 or 10 years |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | 8 years for the basic retention requirement but this is increased to 10 in cases of implants or medical devices. If the record relates to a child, then retain in line with children’s records. (Also refer to Appendix III: records dealt with under the NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts (Sexually transmitted disease) directions 2000 |
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: patient records
| Record type | Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: patient records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 30 years or 10 years after death |
| Disposal action | Review and consider transfer to PoD |
| Notes | Diagnosis records must be retained for clinical care purposes. |
Long-term illness, or illness that may reoccur: patient records
| Record type | Long-term illness, or illness that may reoccur: patient records |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 20 years, or 10 years after death |
| Disposal action | Review and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | Necessary for continuation of clinical care. The primary record of the illness and course of treatment must be kept where the illness may reoccur or it is a life-long condition such as diabetes, arthritis or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. |
Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC)
| Record type | Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) |
|---|---|
| Category | Care record |
| Retention period | 30 years, or 10 years after death (if known) |
| Disposal action | Review, and destroy if no longer required |
| Notes | These records need to be kept for medico-legal reasons because an individual may not be in a position to bring a case against the alleged perpetrator for a long time after the event. Once the retention period is reached, a decision needs to be made about continued retention. Records cannot be kept indefinitely just in case an individual might bring a case. Some individuals may never bring a case and indefinite retention may be seen as a breach of UK GDPR, keeping information longer than necessary. Consideration also needs to be given to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Human Tissue Act 2004, and Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 legal requirements; other laws and regulations may also need to be taken into account. |
Last edited: 7 May 2026 5:52 pm