Medical records for deceased service personnel
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-25)

Information on requesting medical records held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for deceased service personnel.

Requesting medical records created after 1 November 1991

To request medical records of a deceased service person created after 1 November 1991, you can apply in writing under the Access to Health Records Act (1990) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/23/contents) (AHRA).

Under the terms of the AHRA, you will only be able to access the deceased service person’s medical records if you are:
- a personal representative (PR) (the executor or administrator of the deceased service person’s estate) - please see the PR section below for more details
- someone who has a claim resulting from the death of the deceased (this could be a relative or another person) - please note that if you do not have the PR’s consent, only information directly relevant to a claim will be considered for disclosure
Requesting medical records created before 1 November 1991

To request medical records of a deceased service person created before 1 November 1991, you can apply in writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents) (FOIA).

Under the terms of the FOIA, it is highly likely that Section 41 (information provided in confidence) will be engaged. This means the department can only release information held within a medical record to the PR of the deceased service person.

Access to some information may not be permitted as outlined under ‘What happens when we have confirmed you are the PR?’ below.

How to apply for medical records

You will need to submit your request in writing.

What to include in your request

You will need to provide as much information as possible to allow us to locate the deceased service person’s records and help us to make the necessary considerations.

Please provide the following details of the deceased service person:
- full name
- service number
- date of birth
- date of death
- service (Royal Navy, British Army, or Royal Air Force)
- copy of a death certificate or other legal declaration of death
- any other information you think would be relevant to your request, e.g. if you are interested in a specific element of the medical record
In the absence of a death certificate or other legal declaration of death, the MOD adopts a policy of assuming that a person is alive until the age of 116. You do not need a copy of the death certificate if the person died in service or was born more than 116 years ago.

Personal representative (PR)

A PR is the executor or administrator of the deceased service person’s estate. The PR is the only person(s) who has an unqualified right of access, including any surviving family members or Next of Kin.

Requesters (other than the PR) have a legal right of access only where they can establish a claim arising from a deceased service person’s death. You will need to provide evidence to support the claim in your application.

Applying as a PR

You will need to provide evidence that you are the PR with a copy of one of the following:
- Grant of Probate
- Letter of Administration
You will also need to provide proof of your identity with one of the following:
- your UK photocard driving licence, showing your home address
- the photo page of your passport and a utility bill, council tax bill, bank statement or letter from a government department (e.g. HMRC or DWP) showing your name and home address, dated within the last three months
When you have gathered the relevant information, submit your request to one of the following Service disclosure branches:

Royal Navy

In writing:

Navy Command FOI Section Navy Command Headquarters 2 Deck, Leach Building Whale Island Portsmouth PO2 8BY

By email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

British Army

In writing:

Parliamentary & Disclosures Triage Mail Point 660 HQ Military Secretary Kentigern House 65 Brown Street Glasgow G2 8EX

By email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Royal Air Force

In writing:

RAF Disclosures – Veterans Room 6, Trenchard Hall RAF Cranwell Sleaford NG34 8HB

By email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

What happens when we have confirmed you are the PR?

On receipt, our medical professionals will consider the circumstances of each case and decide:
- if there is information held that the deceased would not have wished to have disclosed or specifically requested non-disclosure
- whether any information could cause serious harm, distress or detriment to a third party’s mental or physical health
- whether any loss of privacy as a result of disclosure could impact upon the reputation of the deceased
- whether third party personal data can be disclosed
Other useful information

Information about deceased individuals is not covered by any right of access under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) or the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018, as personal data only relates to living individuals.

The Information Commissioner (IC) guidance covers AHRA and records created after 1 November 1991: Information about the deceased (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/#deceased). You may also wish to read the IC’s guidance under the FOIA: Section 41 exemption (information provided in confidence) (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/section-41-information-provided-in-confidence/).