Medical Records 1957 UK

[BuddysMummy]

Hi
I have tried to search the forum but haven't found what I am looking for.

Is it possible to find medical records from 1957?

They concern my late mother. Only recently I have found out that she was pregnant with a second child in 1957. Her health was very poor and she had been advised against further pregnancies. The only letter I have about this was telling her sister that she was in hospital (at about 5 months) and they were talking about delivering the baby by Caesarian Section at 7 months, so about mid-September 1957, apparently.
There is no other information until a letter written in April 1958, no mention of a baby so presumably it did not survive but I am not sure if it even made it to a live birth.
 
I think it would have probably been Redhill Hospital as that is where she died in December 1958.
There are some rumours that she died in childbirth but there is no mention on her death certificate so I wonder if the two stories have become confused (she was in Surrey, her family was in Australia). Nobody alive now who would know.

[BumbleB]

As far as I am aware English medical records are not available to the general public.

[Jebber]

I concur with BumbleB. I think the only exception would be if your mother's medical condition had an affect on your health today.

[Rena]

Have you read these two web pages?

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/aboutapps/hospitalrecords/default.htm

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01ruj/

[Top-of-the-hill]

  If the baby was born alive, would there be a birth certificate?

[Annie65115]

Ex doctor here. We were taught that NHS medical records generally had to be kept for a minimum of 7 years post the date of consultation, but that anything appertaining to pregnancy, childbirth and illhealth in children was to be kept for 25 years.

It's unlikely that your mother's medical records would still survive now.

Even if they do, I think there would be some major hurdles to jump in terms of accessing them; the law, and indeed the mood, regarding patient confidentiality is very much tighter now than it used to be. And whilst a dead person does not have the same rights as a living one, records are generally only released under a "need to know" basis.

[carol8353]

  If the baby was born alive, would there be a birth certificate?

Yes even if the baby only drew one breath.

[Maiden Stone]

Register of stillbirths if the pregnancy lasted long enough?

[Gadget]

I had access to about 30 years (40s-70s)  of maternity records and birth certificates when I was working on a large MRC research project in Scotland. I had to sign various confidentiality documents. As far as I know, there was no public access to the  medical records