Suffolk mother faces £18,000 legal bill to protect son’s medical privacy
A mother in Suffolk says she may have to spend at least £18,000 in legal fees to prevent her former husband accessing their eight-year-old son’s medical records. The father was jailed for grievous bodily harm after shaking the child as an infant, causing severe, lifelong health conditions; the mother says allowing him access could undermine the boy’s privacy and safety.
Under current law, people with parental responsibility can request their children’s medical records, even if they have had no contact or involvement in their upbringing. The father has reportedly made such a request despite a ban on contacting his former family under his licence conditions, which are due to end early next year. The boy has the mental capacity of a newborn, daily seizures and respiratory problems, and his mother says doctors are assessing whether he will need oxygen overnight.
In short
- Mother faces at least £18,000 in legal fees to restrict access to her son’s records.
- The boy’s father was jailed after shaking him as an infant.
- Parental responsibility can allow requests for children’s medical records.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A parent with parental responsibility may argue that access to a child’s medical records is part of being able to understand their health and exercise parental duties, and that a past conviction should not automatically remove that right indefinitely. Clear, consistent rules can protect children’s interests while ensuring that restrictions on access are decided through a fair process based on current circumstances and evidence.
The case against
A child’s medical information is highly sensitive, and access should be limited where disclosure could threaten their privacy or safety, particularly when the requesting parent caused severe harm and has had no role in their care. Supporters of stronger safeguards would argue that parental responsibility should not create an automatic entitlement in such cases, and that families should not have to bear substantial legal costs to prevent potentially harmful disclosure.
Explained simply
A child’s medical records contain information about their health, treatment and care. In England, a parent with parental responsibility can generally ask to see a child’s records, even if they have not been involved in the child’s upbringing; decisions about access may also take account of the child’s welfare and privacy.
The case involves a boy with serious, lifelong health needs and his mother and father, who are separated. The father was jailed for grievous bodily harm after shaking the boy when he was an infant, and has been barred from contacting the family under his licence conditions.
The dispute raises questions about how a child’s medical privacy and safety are balanced against a parent’s legal rights. It also highlights the possible cost of challenging access to records through the courts.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Mother forced to spend £18,000 on legal fees to stop violent ex-husband accessing medical records of son he left with life-changing injuries”.