AQW 27654/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 23/05/2025
Answered On Date: 27/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to outline how (i) GP; and (ii) other, medical records are transferred from (a) England; (b) Scotland; (c) and; Wales, when someone moves to Northern Ireland.

Answer:

When a patient registers with a GP practice in Northern Ireland and the patient has been identified as having relocated to Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom. a notification is sent by the Business Services Organisation to the relevant health authority (in the United Kingdom) which requests the medical records of the patient to be forwarded to BSO.

Records are transferred from England and Wales to BSO by courier and from Scotland via a postal delivery service. When records are received by BSO they are forwarded to the new GP practice by BSO courier.