Patient record errors caused by ‘lack of integration’, finds report
Lack of integration between the NHS App and other health data sources has contributed to patient record errors, according to a new report.
An analysis by Healthwatch, published on 1 May 2025, found that 23% of adults have noticed inaccuracies or missing details in their medical records.
The champion for health and social care services commissioned BMG Research to conduct a nationally representative survey of 1,800 adults between 24 and 27 March 2025.
The resulting report says: “When considering these figures for missing information, we should note that the records you can see on the NHS App are not your full records.
“Rather it is a summary of your GP record, usually dating back only to November 2023, when technology changed.
“Information added to the NHS App from other sources, such as hospital letters and test results, currently varies, and people may have to go to each service to request a copy of their full records.
“This represents an issue, demonstrating the need for clear communication to help people understand how their records work.”
A quarter (26%) of those who noticed inaccuracies in their records said that their personal details were wrong and 16% reported inaccurate information about their medication.
Almost one in 10 (9%) of those who noticed inaccuracies said that there is a record of a condition they do not have and a further 9% said that their records detail medical treatment they have not had.
Healthwatch said that incorrect information can cause inconvenience and clinical risk to individuals, such as being denied tests or treatment, experiencing issues with benefits claims or needing to repeat tests and appointments.
It called for “better interoperability to ensure records are shared effectively” and said that government plans to introduce a single patient record could help to address the issues.
In response to the analysis, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “There may be many reasons for administrative errors occurring but inadequate IT infrastructure, intense workload and workforce pressures in general practice, high levels of unnecessary bureaucracy, and poor communication between different parts of the health service could all contribute to mistakes being made.
“GPs and our teams work hard to ensure records are secure and accurate and care is joined up, but if GPs and their teams are overworked and our basic IT systems are slow, inefficient and can’t communicate with one another effectively, then issues such as this are inadvertently and unfortunately going to happen.”
She added that the forthcoming NHS 10 year health plan, which is expected to be published in June 2025, must provide additional ringfenced funding of at least £2bn “to address the substantial shortcomings in both our physical and digital infrastructure”.
A spokesperson for NHS England told Digital Health News: “We know more should be done to ensure records are accurate and so the NHS is taking a number of steps to address this including new AI technology to reduce transcription errors and through making it easier for patients to access and review all their health information in one place through the NHS App.”
