Quarter of patients 'have found errors in their medical records'

Almost one in four patients have found mistakes in their medical records, such as errors over their illness, drugs they have taken or treatment they have received.

- Denis Campbell

The blunders have led to patients missing out on tests or treatment, being refused care or being given medication they did not need, research by an NHS watchdog found.

In some cases, their official medical history said they had illnesses they had never suffered from.

Healthwatch England, which revealed how often such inaccuracies occurred, urged the NHS to "get the basics right" when staff record details of patients and their care.

In a representative survey of 1,800 adults living in England, 409 (23%) said they had come across mistakes or missing details such as their name or date of birth in their patient records.

Some errors were so serious they could put patients at risk - for example, by missing out on treatment they needed, said Louise Ansari, Healthwatch England's chief executive.

The survey was commissioned after patients reported "alarming issues with medical records", Ansari added.