Clear Law, a trusted group of personal injury solicitors in the UK, is warning of the growing concerns regarding incorrect doctors’ notes, which could lead to mistakes in diagnosis.
Several recent cases have highlighted the problems that have occurred, with the organisation Patients Know Best finding that one third of medical reports contain errors.
Take the case of Mary Kerswell, a retired biomedical scientist who was asked by her GP to take a urine test to monitor a kidney infection she did not have. Mary asked to have a copy of her medical notes and after waiting several weeks to receive them, she found them to be littered with errors, which her doctor put down to ‘filing errors’.
Worryingly, there are concerns that these errors are not always accidental, with more cases like Mary’s being reported recently.
One man visited his doctor after suffering from stress after he was stalked by a woman. She was later convicted of the offence; however, several years later, he found his doctors’ notes said he was suffering from ‘paranoid delusions’ that he had a stalker.
Patients do have the right to see their medical records if they so wish under the Data Protection Act 1998. This request can only be refused if doing so would cause serious harm to the patient’s mental health, however some doctors are still against patients having access to their notes, arguing that it restricts what they are able to write.
Even if patients do manage to see their notes, they can face a struggle to have inaccuracies corrected.
If you have suffered medical negligence, we may be able to help. Give us a call today on 0800 999 1875 or visit our website www.medicalnegligence-solicitors.com for targeted legal advice. Alternatively, you can request a call back, at a time to suit you.