What happens to your medical records after you die? Do they get archived or scrapped eventually?

Records are kept for a set amount of time by your local Health Board and then destroyed. The length of time depends on local Health Board policy. Records on the SPINE should contain all the same information as the handwritten ones at your local surgery. The surgery should be entering any clinical information recorded when you visit into an electronic database in the practice which is regularly uploaded to the SPINE.

If you need your records for something in the future, then you need to get a copy, same as for x-rays. Although most doctors offices here in my area of FL say the records are archived and they say they keep them for many years, they don't keep the x-rays more than a year (it's a fact because I've personally asked my doctors) because they say that tourists are just visitors here and why keep those records. I've tried on several occasions to get old records and was told either "you were never a patient here" or "we cleaned up our records this summer and you're no longer on there" or "your info is in our archives and we'll get back to you on that" and then they never get back, but a few did admit that after a year and they don't hear from you then you're removed. There have been a few times (shown on our tv local stations) wherein the archives (along with SS numbers) have been just dumped into the dumpster and some passerby called it to the attention of the media so it was said they would be shreaded then dumped. Whether shreaded or not they will eventually end up in our county dump. In response to "amsterdam" (since we can't email her), here in the USA you'd need to write letters, give a reason why you want the documents, and give your identification. You might also tell them that you were interested so that you could have any information that might affect your own health someday. Usually, like for genealogy purposes a person can get a copy of the death certificate which lists the reason why the person died.

More important to me is what happened to mine wile I'm alive. The surgery was moved to a new building, only feet away. But they changed my address. Only coming to light, when I was trying to get the Quack to sign a form. Which took 6 months and many copy's(they kept losing) and letters from various health professionals. And the receptionist wouldn't consider that the address change was their fault! When I quizzed if they still had my records. I got a sharp rebuke, and would not show them me.

They are not 'your' records. They are owned by the Secretary of State for Health. She may do as she likes with them.