Grampian suffers most ‘misplaced’ NHS records

Published on 25/06/2012 02:37

PATIENT records for more than 100 children and adults in Scotland went missing in 2011, NHS figures have revealed.

Nearly half of the 104 records, which included highly personal information, were misplaced in NHS Grampian.

The health board said the 50 records – which included clinical notes, nursing records, a neonatal record and a drug report – were not “lost” but “reported missing”.

NHS Highland lost 17 records, including 14 from children’s services largely relating to requests for records from another board when a child moved into the area.

NHS Lanarkshire lost 22 records, NHS Forth Valley and Greater Glasgow and Clyde lost two records each, and NHS Tayside lost one.

NHS Lothian said it does not keep a record of lost files, but said it is “not aware of any records being lost in the last year”.

The figures were uncovered through a freedom of information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats following the discovery of 22 medical records next to a bin in Dundee earlier this month.

Its health spokeswoman, Alison McInnes, called for a Scottish-wide investigation into the NHS management of patient records.

“We have no choice but to trust health boards with our personal information,” she said. “It is simply not good enough for the health secretary to have a firm word with each health board in question and then move on.”

However, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “We take the confidentiality of patient data very seriously – and any data breach is completely unacceptable.

“That is why we have the code of practice that makes clear confidentiality obligations when working in, or with, NHS Scotland.”