[Neil Cuadra]

Originally Posted by chalky.1

Thanks for the replies so far.
Dads age is 75. He has been tired but not sure how long for. He new ther was something wrong for a while as he had lost a lot of weight. We knew nothing of this until he was admitted. You see my mum passed from cancer and I'm not sure if he is just trying to bury his head in the sand or has just not absorbed the information yet.

It's not unusual for someone from his generation to have a "let the doctors handle it" attitude, and not to expect to direct their own healthcare. That can produce less than ideal outcomes because they have less control, even though they haven't asked for control. That's why their adult children are so often involved in listening to the doctors and asking questions on their parent's behalf, and helping manage their parent's care.

I have asked him to get his blood results from the nurse but he has said he is not sure if he can but will try.
Would a dr tell me? It really is tricky as I don't wish him to worry. We can do enough of that for him.

Here's what I learned by looking around:

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Health Records Act 1990, your Dad has the right to see his own medical records. (I'm assuming you are in the U.K.) He can submit a request in writing or even by email to his doctor or the hospital's health records manager, stating which records or which dates he wants copies of. See this page or this page for details.

Once he gets copies of his records, he can share them with you, but I suggest that you ask the doctor or hospital what form he can fill out to let you have access to his medical records directly.

If you want to further formalize it, you can have access to his medical records and the authority to make medical decisions for him if you apply for and register a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). See this page for details.

Doctors and hospitals have to be careful not to get themselves in trouble for violating patient privacy rights, so don't assume they are treating you unfairly if they insist on some documentation that you are acting on your Dad's behalf.