The DPC received a complaint with regard to an individual who made an access request under Article 15 of the GDPR to a public/state hospital for a copy of all personal information held concerning them. The response from the hospital remained outstanding after more than a month, whereas information provided to the DPC indicated that due the health of the individual this matter required urgent attention.  

The DPC contacted the Data Protection Officer for the Hospital Group by phone and email to inform them of the urgency of the complaint, and requested they respond to the individual’s representatives promptly, providing them with a copy of the individual’s personal information as part of the engagement. The hospital followed the instructions from the DPC.

Whilst the hospital acknowledged receipt of the request within one month of its receipt, the personal data the individual was entitled to was only provided to the individual following the intervention of the DPC.