A practice in the Halton area

4. Mr J complains between September 2021 and May 2023, the Practice recorded inaccurate and incorrect information in his medical records about his weight loss, prescribed medication, and treatment for his carpel tunnel syndrome.

5. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand and forearm. The condition occurs when one of the major nerves to the hand, the median nerve, is squeezed or compressed as it travels through the wrist.

6. Mr J says the inaccurate and incorrect information meant he did not receive the treatment he should have received which significantly impacted his mental health.

7. In bringing the complaint to us, Mr J would like the information recorded on his medical history to be removed or amended.

8. In October 2023, Mr J requested a copy of his medical records about the care and treatment he received between August 2020 and Aug 2023, which he collected on 1 November.

9. Mr J says after reviewing the records he realised there were discrepancies with the information recorded about his care and treatment.

10. Mr J complained to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) on 22 July 2024. The ICB sent a response to Mr J on 2 September, which included a response from the Practice about the concerns he had raised.

11. Mr J raised further concerns on 9 September, of which the ICB and the Practice responded to on 22 October 2024.

13. When deciding whether to investigate a complaint, we consider whether another organisation is better place to deal with the nature of the complaint and the concerns raised.

14. We do not consider whether an alternative organisation would succeed but whether it would be reasonable option to look into.

15. Mr J told us that the Practice added incorrect and inaccurate information to his medical records and his requested outcome is to have this information removed or amended from his medical records.

16. As an organisation, this is something we are unable to achieve. We cannot direct the Practice to amend or remove information contained in medical records. We are also not best placed to look into complaints solely about the handling of personal data.

17. Mr J could take his complaint to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

18. Based on what Mr J has told us we consider the ICO would be better placed to consider Mr J’s complaint to help achieve his outcome. This is because the ICO looks at issues relating to how organisations handle people’s personal data and information.

19. The ICO can use the information he provides to reach a view as to whether he should receive the outcome he is seeking. If successful, this route may achieve the outcome Mr J is seeking or it may direct the Practice to take other action (such as adding an addendum to his records).

20. We have not identified any reason that would prevent Mr J from taking this course of action or taking advice on this. We have not identified any circumstances or reasons why the ICO is not suitable in this case.

21. In summary, we have decided we will not take further action on Mr J’s complaint. We hope we have explained the thorough consideration we have given to our decision and clearly outlined the reasons for it.

22. We understand this must have been a difficult time for Mr J. We recognise how worrying it must be for him to think the information in his medical records will affect his future care. We hope he is able to get what he is seeking through this route.

1. We have carefully considered Mr J’s complaint about the Practice.

2. We are sorry to hear of Mr J’s concerns about the information he says was incorrectly recorded on his medical records and the impact he says this has had on his mental health. We acknowledge he has been through a difficult time.

3. We have decided to not consider the complaint further because another organisation is better placed to look at Mr J’s concerns given the outcome he is seeking. We have explained the reasons for this in our decision below.