Hospital Notes / X Ray Report.

[EDDIE51]

Do I have the right to a copy of my chest X ray report that was taken when i was admitted to hospital with a chest infection and pneumonia.
I was previously exposed to asbestos and want to know if there is a connection.

[237SJ]

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/personal-information/ I`d probably just ask for a copy first before I went down the official route though.

[Baldric]

I emailed our local EKH Trust to query who did an Op. a few years ago, the results of which I was not best pleased with.
They rang me, we made an appointment for me to see my Medical Records and was able to get copies of what I wanted.

[silly moo]

Sorry but you do need to go down the official route. I would never give out a report to anybody other than the medical professional who requested the X Ray

[bednobs]

yes you do. However, a plain xray report most probably won't go into that much detail. Any link with asbestos is mostly confirmed at post mortem

[237SJ]

If they thought there was a link to asbestos, wouldn`t they just say so? http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/interstitial-lung-disease.php Could it just have been a chest infection which led to pneumonia?

[Sqad]

\\\\Any link with asbestos is mostly confirmed at post mortem\\

not much point in claiming a pension then..........;-)

[anneasquith]

eddie, your gp will have received a discharge letter from the hospital, the result from the x.ray may be /should be in the letter, ask gp .

[Sqad]

Eddie...the chest X-ray will be of only limited value in the diagnosis of asbestos related diseases.

You have been exposed.......there is a likelihood of a link with your present problem.....my advice is to see a Solicitor who deals with such claims.

[EDDIE51]

I have the discharge letter but it does not have the actual X ray. I want to see the actual X ray

[Sqad]

\\\ I want to see the actual X ray\\\\

Why?

[EDDIE51]

Sqad, I have consulted a solicitor , they want me to send them a copy of the X ray to access my claim. If the hospital know it is for a solicitor they want around £80 for the report and X ray , I was hoping i could just ask for a copy without saying what it was for. £80 is a lot of cash when you are on a pension.

[Sqad]

Ah! gotcha Eddie.

[bednobs]

yes you can get it and for less than £80.
sqad, asbestos related illness is confirmed on PM - especially if there has been an industrial injuries payment, however, there might well have beena diagnosis before then. These cases always have to have a PM

[EDDIE51]

I was exposed for nearly 2 years. I had applied for a temporary job in a factory that made asbestos roofing sheets. However I was assured the area where I would be working did NOT use asbestos. One day before I was due to start work , I got a letter saying I would be in a different dept to the one I was interviewed for . The 'new' dept was a shed where asbestos sheets were cut down to size. As I expected the job to only last 3 or 4 months and I was out of work with 5 children to look after I accepted it.
The saws were 1920s vintage with no proper dust control , the only protection was disposable paper masks. When a dust hopper was full we had to crawl in and empty it by hand.
The temporary job was extended and I worked in the cutting shed for 2 years. I then went on to do another 16 years in the same company but the use of asbestos was banned after those 1st 2 years.
I am now very worried that my lungs have been damaged and am making a claim for compensation.

[shaneystar2]

My Dad died from asbestos related disease 42 years ago .He worked on the nuclear power stations in the 60's.They can't tell from just from an xray.Not until they opened him up and removed most of his left lung did they realise he had what in those days they called miners lung .
He did get compensation but it was a long drawn out process and he had to attend an industrial tribunal .
My eldest brother died from the same thing just over two years ago .He worked with my dad at the time but he had a much longer innings and died aged 84.His was confirmed by a post mortem ,although he knew what it was .
My Dad and brother and all the men used to have to be hosed down down after they came out of the tunnels as they were covered in it and had no protective clothing.
I don't know what the procedure for claiming is these days Eddie but I think any claim will have to have much more supporting evidence than just an xray .I wish you all the best and hope so very much you haven't got this awful disease.

[EDDIE51]

It is a lot easier to claim now. The danger is accepted and there are compensation funds set up. It is only necessary to prove that you were exposed to asbestos without proper protection. If the X ray shows damage to the lungs the claim is higher depending on the level of damage shown.
I can prove I was exposed and that there was inadequate protection