Requesting birth records means identifying every provider, using the correct public or private process, showing authority to act, and asking specifically for the full clinical file. My Health Record summaries are not a substitute for the complete records held by providers.
Identify providers
Care around a birth may involve a GP, a private obstetrician, a public hospital, imaging and pathology providers, a midwifery group practice, a neonatal or special care nursery and community child health services. Each keeps its own records. Listing every provider, with dates of contact, helps ensure nothing is overlooked.
Separate requests are often needed for the mother's records and the baby's records, even when they were in the same hospital.
Public versus private records
Access to records held by private providers is generally governed by federal privacy law. Records held by public hospitals are often governed by state or territory freedom of information or health records laws. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner explains the private sector process and directs people to the right body for public sector records.
Fees, forms and response times may differ, so check the relevant provider's current process.
Authority
A mother can request her own records. For a child's records, a parent or guardian usually requests them, and the provider may ask for proof of identity and relationship. Where a solicitor requests records, they will usually need signed authority. If parents are separated or a child is in care, additional questions about who may consent can arise.
What to include in a request
Be specific. Requesting only a discharge summary may produce only that. A request might ask for:
- The complete clinical file, including electronic and handwritten notes
- The full CTG trace, in electronic form where held
- Medication charts, observation charts and fluid balance records
- Pathology, cord blood gas and imaging reports, with images where relevant
- Neonatal unit records and correspondence between providers
- Audit trails for electronic records, if relevant
Missing records
If records appear incomplete, write to the provider identifying what seems absent and ask whether it exists. My Health Record may show summaries or test results, but it does not hold the detailed clinical notes or full monitoring data that reviewers need. A solicitor can make further formal requests if necessary.
For your next conversation
- List of every provider and dates of care for mother and baby
- Proof of identity and, for a child, proof of parental relationship
- Written request specifying the complete file and the electronic CTG
- Signed authority if a solicitor is to request records
- Record of when requests were sent and any reply received
- List of documents that appear to be missing
Common questions
Can I just download everything from My Health Record?
It can be a helpful starting point, but it usually contains summaries, selected results and uploaded documents rather than the full clinical file. Detailed labour notes, complete monitoring traces and nursing observations normally must be requested from each provider directly.
The hospital sent a printed CTG that is hard to read. What can I do?
Ask whether the trace was stored electronically and request it in that form. Paper copies may be faded, cropped or lack time markings. Experts generally prefer the complete original data, and a solicitor can make a follow-up request.
Sources & further reading
These references support the topic’s starting points. They do not determine the facts, standard of care or law applicable to an individual matter.