When Adopted and Care-Experienced People Lack Medical History

Family medical history can shape diagnosis and treatment, but adopted and care-experienced people may have little or no access to it. I explore how these gaps affect health care, personal records and access to assessment, through individual experiences, research and discussion of current support routes.

■ Health risks and family history
- Accounts of genetic conditions, delayed diagnoses and uncertainty about inherited risks
■ Finding personal and childhood information
- DNA testing and social-care records; gaps in information needed for an autism assessment
■ Support, privacy and policy
- Current routes to records and family tracing, and discussion of changes to adoption support

For adopted and care-experienced people, families and health professionals, this provides context on why missing history matters and what information-access routes are discussed. Viewers can consider raising gaps in their records with health professionals and asking relevant local services about available records and support.