NHS Records

'Your medical records are in here...somewhere' was the headline on the front page of the local newspaper yesterday. There was also a large photo of a chaotic filing system with lots of records piled up on the floor. Inside the paper it tells us that the photo was taken two weeks ago. This is nothing new. I watched a mandatory fire lecture five or six years ago and a similar photo was shown. The reason it was shown was to make us more aware of fire hazards but my first reaction was more to do with how they would find my records. I am pleased that this information has been made public as this is a common method for things to improve.

A few years ago I attended a course on legal matters in the NHS. It was mentioned that there was a study on the south coast in which all the patients of a local hospital held their own records. None were lost but this happens frequently within the NHS. It makes you wonder why they have studies.

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