Adoptees reveal barriers to accessing vital family medical history

For adopted individuals in the UK, the inability to access their biological family’s medical history can pose serious health risks and significant emotional distress. A recent investigation highlights how bureaucratic obstacles and inconsistent support systems leave many adoptees without crucial genetic information.

Sophia Watkins, a 26-year-old trainee solicitor from Birmingham, experienced this firsthand when she discovered a breast lump. Having been removed from her biological parents as an infant and later adopted, she had no way of knowing her genetic risk factors. “Not knowing anything about yourself genetically is terrifying,” Watkins said. Although the lump proved benign, the incident underscored her vulnerability. After a lengthy struggle with what she described as a “bureaucratic hellscape,” she secured records from Bradford Council, which revealed her biological mother’s history of eating disorders—information that could have helped diagnose Watkins’ own severe anorexia during her teens.

Watkins also received “earth-shattering” details regarding the court reasons for her removal from care, delivered without adequate support. Bradford Council has since apologized, acknowledging they failed to provide necessary signposting for sensitive disclosures, and has offered Watkins a meeting to discuss her experience.

The case of Dr. Chris Tennyson, a 40-year-old clinical psychologist from Belfast, illustrates the potential danger of delayed information. Adopted in the 1980s, Tennyson learned at age 37 that he carries a gene linked to malignant hyperthermia, a condition causing life-threatening reactions to anesthesia. His biological father had warned social workers against sharing such information, and Tennyson was not contacted when the condition was identified in the wider family in 2000. He described the lack of support for adoptees as a “huge blind spot” and called for care records to be automatically updated with new family medical data.

Courtney-Grace, a 28-year-old first-time mother from the North of England, was diagnosed with a tumor-risk genetic mutation in her mid-20s after years of misdiagnosis. She is now ensuring her five-month-old daughter, Tine, will be tested for the condition at age five. “She has the medical information,” Courtney-Grace said. “She can say, ‘My mum has this.'”

Josh MacAlister, the minister for children and families in England, confirmed that the government is reviewing adoption support following a consultation launched in February 2026. He admitted the current system has “obvious gaps” and fails to balance biological relatives’ privacy with adoptees’ right to health-critical information. While all four UK nations allow some access to records, no legal right exists, and practices vary significantly. Advocates argue that the system requires a fundamental overhaul to protect the health of adopted people across the board.