A second NHS trust has been found to have failed to send tens of thousands of letters to patients and GPs.
It comes just days after Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that around 24,000 documents, including discharge summaries and clinic letters, may not have been sent out over the last five years. “The Trust took positive steps to prevent a similar incident from happening again, including improved communication and training with staff covering administrative processes and their use of the system, we also introduced prompts and safeguards into the system to prevent further occurrences.
This led to one GP receiving several old letters, prompting them to contact the trust, which then launched an inquiry. Chris McCann, communications and insight director at Healthwatch England, said: “Communication issues in healthcare don’t only frustrate patients but can also put their health at risk while placing additional pressures on every part of the NHS.