Written question asked by Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 19 December 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 January 2007. It was answered by Caroline Flint (Labour) on Friday, 19 January 2007 on behalf of the Department of Health.

NHS Database

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received from (a) the public and (b) medical professionals that entries on the NHS database are (i) inaccurate and (ii) false.

Answer: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as correspondence is not held centrally in such a way that would make it possible to identify such a request separately from other issues raised.There is no existing electronic database which contains the personal health information of all national health service patients. Any request received by the Department complaining of an inaccuracy or error in existing records would be dealt by referring the correspondent to the relevant body concerned as corrective action would involve appropriate amendment by the treating clinician of the relevant locally held record.In the future, each person using the NHS will have a personal electronic NHS care record within the NHS care records service, made up of detailed care records and a summary care record. The summary care record element is due to begin to be rolled out, initially at early adopter sites, in 2007.

Secondary information