Health records requests

The Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act) allows you to request access to your health records or that of others where you have legal authority. It is possible to either obtain copies of the information or to view original documents.

Monash Health holds records for the following organisations:

Monash Health – Monash Medical Centre Clayton
Monash Health – Monash Children’s Hospital
Monash Health – Moorabbin Hospital
Monash Health – Dandenong Hospital
Monash Health – Casey Hospital
Monash Health – Kingston Centre
Mordialloc and Cheltenham Community Hospital (historical records)
Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital (historical records)
Heatherton Hospital (historical records)
Prince Henry’s Hospital (historical records)
Queen Victoria Hospital (historical records)
Victorian Heart Hospital

How to apply

There are two types of applications you can make:

General application to obtain health records, or
Information requests related to historical forced adoptions

The application forms can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Applications must be made in writing and include sufficient detail to identify the correct medical record.

Completed application forms can be emailed to: foi@monashhealth.org

Alternatively, you can mail your completed application form to:

Freedom of Information Unit
Monash Medical Centre
Locked Bag 29
Clayton South VIC 3169

Identification

Photo identification must be sent with all applications to access medical records (e.g. a photocopy of a driver’s license or passport)
A request for a medical record relating to a person other than the applicant must also include written authorisation from the patient or evidence that you are the legal representative of the patient (e.g. Power of Attorney – Medical, Guardianship Order, etc.)
If the patient is deceased you must provide evidence of this (e.g. a copy of the death certificate) and signed authorisation from deceased person’s senior next of kin.
If the patient is a child, and a Family Court Order is in place, a copy of the order should be provided. Please note that children aged 16 and over must sign an authorisation allowing the applicant to access their medical record.
All other required documents will be specified with the relevant applicant form.

Fees and charges

The FOI Act sets out the following fees and charges for providing access to records.

Information requests related to historical forced adoptions:

Applications are free of any charges.

All other information requests:

An application fee of $33.60 applies effective from 1 July 2025 (non-refundable and must accompany the written request).

Additional fees that may apply:

USB: $35.00
Photocopies: $0.20 per page copied
Search Fee (if applicable): $23.85 per hour or part of an hour
Viewing Record (if applicable): $5.55 per 15 minutes (under supervision)
Radiology Images (on CD): $15.00 per CD
Registered Post: $12.00

You will be advised of any additional fees when your request has been processed. These fees must be paid before the information is released. If you do not wish to proceed, you must notify us for the invoice to be withdrawn. All cheques should be made payable to Monash Health.

Please allow approximately two weeks for processing of documents after the full fee is paid.

Concessions: If you are the holder of a current Health Care Card or Pension Card, the $33.60 application fee will be waived (access charges are as above). In this circumstance, please also attach a copy of the entitlement card (front and back) with your application.

What happens next

In accordance with the FOI Act, we will have 30 days to evaluate your request and provide our response in writing. The 30-day period starts when we have received your written application, along with the necessary identification documents and application fee if applicable (including the details of your Pension or Health Care Card as relevant), and when the appropriate authority is received.

In our response, we will include the next steps for accessing and viewing your requested records. In certain rare circumstances, historical records may no longer be available due to destruction or unforeseen historical events (e.g. fire, flooding). If this is the case, we will provide you with as much information as possible regarding this occurrence and do our best to provide as much relevant information to you as available.

Protecting patient privacy

Patient medical records are subject to Freedom of Information legislation as they are considered the legal property of Monash Health. Several sections within the FOI Act serve to protect the privacy of patients, and as a result, we may be obliged to exempt certain sections of a medical record from release.

Two of the most relevant sections of the FOI Act are:

Section 35(1)(b) which states that we are obliged to keep information given in confidence to this hospital by third parties (i.e. relatives, friends, outside clinicians) confidential, unless such parties are willing to agree to disclosure.
Section 33(1) requires us to respect the confidentiality of information relating to a patient or other person’s personal affairs (e.g. information relating to a person’s finances, relationships, and other personal matters), even after death, unless the patient or their next of kin, are willing to allow disclosure.

There are also several other exemption provisions under which information may not be released.

You will be advised in writing if any such provisions are relevant to your application and of your right to appeal such decisions.

If Monash Health determines that is it necessary to exempt part/s of the medical record, the applicant has the right to have this decision reviewed by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner. You may apply to the Information Commissioner for review within 28 days after the day on which you receive our notification.

More information

If you have any further enquiries about Monash Health’s Freedom of Information services, please call our Freedom of Information Unit on 9594 2123.

For a more information on the FOI Act please visit the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner website.

More information regarding historical forced adoptions, including the Victorian Government’s 2023 Historical Forced Adoptions Redress Scheme, is available at www.vic.gov.au/forced-adoption.

Information Sharing Scheme

For details on the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and Child Information Sharing Scheme, please visit the Information Sharing Scheme page.