Missing medical records

Request a FULL copy of your notes. Your archived notes will be retrieved and a hard copy posted to you.

Did you just change doctors, or did you move house and out of your old area OP? The reason I ask, is that I went through the same thing when we moved to Wales. It had gone over a year with no records, so in the end I phoned my old practice, and told them I would be going back down South the following week, and as the whole system had failed, and my new GP had still to catch sight of my old records, over a year after moving, I would be going in to pick up a physical copy. They weren't happy about it, but I made it clear that I was not going to be fobbed off any further. I went in the following week, and collected the printed copy of my records, and lo and behold, suddenly my records arrived at the new surgery, so they didn't need the hard copy after all!! I'm afraid it's time to get tough with them, as your records are definitely 'on the system', it's just a case of someone pulling their finger out, and passing them on. You'd think in this day and age, that every doctor in the country should be able to access anyone's records, at the press of a button, wouldn't you, but sadly that still doesn't seem to be the case.

Thanks everyone. We have consultations, notes and appointments including hospital ones but only since November 2024. Before that we don’t exist. The practise we have joined are very helpful in other ways like appointments or prescriptions in a rush just not recovering the notes. I will try the patients association that sandelf has suggested in the new year. Think it’s too close to Christmas now.

These have a helpline - they know their stuff! www.patients-association.org.uk/

Apart from prescriptions no other info is available on my NHS app.

A long time ago, when I moved from East Sussex to West Sussex I was asked to make an appointment with the doctor in my new practice.

They said they had not received any old notes and they asked me which country I had moved from. I heard it as county so I said East Sussex.

Further investigation showed that my previous surgery had returned my notes to be forwarded but they had gone missing and somebody had attached a note saying "No previous records available in the UK."

As far as I am aware my notes never turned up.

When anyone registers with a new GP Practice, that surgery then request your records from the Health Authority (NHS England) who, in turn, contact your previous surgery to request said information.
In effect, the Health Authority act as middlemen and screen entries are sent electronically/paper notes take longer.

Spk to your new Practice Manager

I had a similar issue when I moved GP a few years ago. Someone I know who works on the admin side of the NHS told me this is a common problem and sometimes the transfer of notes can take months. I remember having issues to do with a smear test I had done and don't seem to have ever received the results.
You need to give as much info as you can to your new GP.
I hope the system has been tidied up a bit now but that is all I can offer I'm afraid.
The notes will be transferred in full eventually, but I now take much better care of my own health and tell the GP what treatment I think I should be having!

Is it just you who can't access them? Can the practice see them?

The NHS app can only add information from the sources which are compatible. My local hospital cannot add to the app, so the only history from hospital admissions is a result of my GP adding the information on my discharge notes. It is not a complete information service, I have never had hospital appointments added or tests done in the hospital.

Have you contacted your previous GP?

I don't know how the NHS app works but for the Swedish one - 1177
- you need to ensure that you have added clinics/GPs to show up eg my eye-clinic records were not visible because I had not added the eye clinic under "my healthcare providers"
- the Swedish journal seemed to have a default setting of only showing recent records until I enabled "show everything"

I also discovered that there are records visible to my healthcare providers that are not enabled for me - my MRI scans from 2012 for example

Have you directed your enquiry to the previous GP, or the new one? Both might be a good idea.

Not responding to a reasonable request was very remiss; in your shoes I would probably contact my MP . IME, the involvement of an MP can have a dramatic effect on NHS.

You need to complain to the commissioner of that service. Contact your local integrated care board (ICB) for complaints about:
primary care services, such as GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.
Pals is Hospital only.
Good luck

You can complain to PALS

What is PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)? - NHS share.google/i9wDV2AsxcwJL46Gz

I am bumping this for you as I assume someone will be able to help you.