50 signatures reached
To: The Government and The Law Society.
Stop hospitals and other care settings saying they have lost notes or cannot provide them
I ask that the law is changed so that hospitals and other care settings can no longer hide behind the excuse that they have lost or cannot locate a patients notes.
Why is this important?
My handsome son Zak died because the health authorities and other institutions that were supposed to be caring for him, failed him miserably.
A coroner has deemed the following:
Healthcare failings in obtaining information so that a patient reveives their medication.
Failings to provide patient discharge information relating to diagnosis, prescription and care plan details.
Concerns relating to a lack of clarity over the meaning of the word "urgent" when a patient referral is made to the access and assessment team.
Concerns that current healthcare guidelines, (in relation to patients that may be disengaging or non concorordant) are lacking and need perfecting.
Zak's death was regarded as a Serious Incident by the trust that failed him.
Zak was seen by a GP whilst under a trusts care, (6 weeks before he took his own life).The GP had serious concerns that Zak was paranoid, lacking capacity and dehydrated. Nothing was done and incredibly no notes seem to be available, to show if anything was done or what they did to help and support Zak.
A different GP saw Zak again 18 days before he passed away. The GP made an urgent psychiatric referral but they did not have a clue about Zak's current medication or treatment plan because they had NO NOTES from the previous care provider.
They had a legal duty of care to get Zak help and treatment.
As it currently stands health authorities and other institutions where care is provided can say they have not got a patients notes or they cannot find them. There is a massive loophole in the current law which allows this to happen. The institutions and health authorities are allowed to say and I quote: " The notes may have been done or they may not have been done", as an excuse for not providing a patients notes.
How can this be either morally or ethically right in 2022 when notes have been computerised to try to stop this from happening.
How can they be allowed to get away with saying: " We do not have the notes, we had no access to that computer system or we cannot find the notes or they may have been done or they may not have been done".
Please please stop this from happening any more. God forbid it happens to your loved one.
Jo Farmer
How it will be delivered
To government and the Law society.
