Recurring concern
Unreliable access to patients’ medication histories
- Reports that mention this concern
- 12
- Times this concern has been raised
- 12
- Stated actions linked to this concern
- 11
What this concern includes
Includes failures of arrangements or systems intended to make a patient’s current or relevant medication history available to clinicians, carers or other staff responsible for safe care, including inaccessible prescription documentation, unavailable electronic medication histories and reliance on potentially incomplete verbal histories because the underlying record cannot be accessed.
What is not included
- Excludes medication prescribing, dispensing, administration, monitoring or reconciliation failures where access to the medication history is not the unsafe condition.
- Excludes general clinical-record access problems where medication history is not the material information needed for care.
- Excludes failures to act on an accurate and accessible medication history.
- Excludes medication-history deficiencies confined to a named transition or reconciliation process when that process provides the more specific supported boundary.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Reports and published responses 12 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
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Concerns raised1
Limited access for community pharmacists to patients’ drug histories and recent test results
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- General Pharmaceutical Council
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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General Pharmaceutical Council
Write to pharmacy owners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with patient-safety concerns, recommended safeguards and supporting resources.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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General Pharmaceutical Council
Digital Health and Care Wales is responsible for explaining pharmacy access requirements and planned changes to patient records in Wales.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of access to all clinical records when planning treatment
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Birmingham Women'S and Children'S NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Birmingham Women'S and Children'S NHS Foundation Trust
Implement an electronic patient record providing staff with accessible medication details and individual patient risk factors.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of accident and emergency staff access to medication records and dispensing rationale
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Department of Health and Social Care
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS England
- Rosedale Surgery
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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NHS England
Continue transferring users from the legacy Summary Care Record application to the National Care Records Service to improve access to national patient information.
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Rosedale Surgery
Add a Summary Care Record sentence limiting controlled medication following an overdose diagnosis to no more than a 48-hour supply.
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James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Procure a shared electronic patient-record system across the three acute trusts.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
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NHS England
Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board is responsible for delivering local Shared Care Records relevant to local information sharing.
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Department of Health and Social Care
The Trust’s investigative action and prescribing policy are considered to address concerns about A&E access to medication records.
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Department of Health and Social Care
NHS England is responsible for delivering health services and considering further responses concerning access to medical records.
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James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Trust disputes that emergency department staff lacked access to relevant medical records, stating that staff could access Summary Care Record and SystmOne.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of access to patients’ prescribed medication and medication review information
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Dorset Council
- NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Dorset Council
Consult health professionals about medication, its use, storage and risks at assessment and review points, including options appraisal and safe-management planning.
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NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board
Share the Coroner’s findings with relevant teams to inform future Dorset Care Record improvements.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Dorset Council
Full integration of Mosaic and SystemOne is constrained because separate data controllers own and regulate systems that are not designed to communicate.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to access medication charts routinely
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB
Conduct and document medication reviews at every local district nursing visit using a checklist countersigned by the care home.
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Concerns raised1
Failure of primary and secondary care systems to provide timely access to definitive medication and concordance records
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of a comprehensive database of patients’ prescription-only medication
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to make complete lists of current and recent prescriptions readily accessible
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of accurate prescription documentation requiring reliance on verbal medication histories
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- The Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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The Trust
Roll out the Electronic Patient Record and Electronic Prescribing to enable clinicians to access current prescribed medication in outpatient clinics.
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The Trust
Ensure outpatient appointment invitation letters request that patients bring their current medication.
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The Trust
Launch an information campaign related to bringing current medication to outpatient appointments.
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Concerns raised1
Unavailability of patients’ past medical and medication history to attending medical crews
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Data last updated 7 September 2026