How to get nhs records to have the correct name (keeps being changed back)?

[seven201]

Re-posted as I accidentally put the true name in twice!

Can anyone who work in NHS admin help as to who I can contact to get a name problem properly rectified?

My dd is 5. I will make up names. Her name is Amy Betty Cole and always has been. About 6 months ago we had a speech therapy appointment come through with the name Maymsa (that's the actual new first name on records) Cole. We didn't think much of it, just thought it was a one off error. Then had another letter and raised it with the speech therapist who said that's her name on the system now she will ask for it to be investigated. Asked at the GP and they said it also shows as Maymsa and they changed it back to Amy. Then got an email from vaccination team under Maymsa to book school Flu jab. Contacted vaccination team and gp and they both changed it back to Amy. Vaccination day comes around and my daughter isn't vaccinated as it was back as Maymsa!! Changed back again at gp and vaccination team. Although last time I checked with vaccination team the only way they can find her is by putting in "Amy (and) Betty" into the first name box, despite Betty being a middle name. I keep being told at the gp that it is sorted and stop bothering them basically. I went in today for something else and asked what name they have for my daughter. It's gone back to the made up name! She said there's two records and Maymsa Cole has a PO Box address and the preferred name is Amy Betty Cole. I think there are two nhs numbers too. She said she's changed it back and that's done. It's obviously not done, but I'm not getting any further with the Gp. She can't go the rest of her life struggling to make appointments as her name keeps being changed back to this random word.

Does anyone know who I contact to try and get this properly sorted? It's driving me bonkers!

Sorry that was so long!

In my previous thread (with accidental names in) abitodd recommended asking the gp practice to contact pcse, so I will try that. Any other tips? My gp practice are incredibly hard to get hold of (short staffed) - last week I was on hold for 2 hrs 17 mins then got cut off!

When I had a data issue like this st my GP I asked for the name of the CCG Data Controller. He understood immediately that they were breaking the law by holding inaccurate data and got it resolved immediately. The GP practice manager had been insisting it wasn't possible to resolve... Just ask for the Data Controller's contact details.

Do a GDPR data subject request and ask for a record of who is accessing, adding and changing her file.
The change is an overwrite, which should have a used ID attached.

If there are 2 people with the same name, someone is accessing your daughters file in error.
If its only your GP surgery they need to resolve it, if its some other GP's surgery it becomes a "professional standard" problem they need to resolve.

Thank you for the responses. This is all very helpful!

Just to say also, the nhs spine (PDS) is audit tracked so you can see where the amendments are coming from (I work in a loosely connected field and it is possible to allocate two patients to the same number!)

@SoSickOfItNow

Watching with interest because I turned up at hospital (outside my area because it’s where I was referred to) for a planned operation and the address they had for me was wrong. They changed it but when I phoned up about the follow up appointment it had again changed back to the wrong address! It had happened, at last count, 5 times. Seems to be some odd quirk in the system somewhere.

I'm sorry if someone else has answered, already, but NHS systems are not in any way joined up. People assume that 'telling the GP' (for example) changes it on every NHS system (of the 5 we commonly use).

People assume 'telling the Council' magically changes all of your contacts with state funded organisations. It doesn't.

We've voted, in our current system, to underfund the NHS. Which, if you were dealing with it at home, you'd thrust your FIST through the screen, as it's so poor- I.T.

My dh has been having problems for years and it has proved an absolute nightmare. His medical records keep getting mixed up with another man who has the same date of birth and a similar, although not identical name. There are apparantly also 2 NHS numbers involved.
Dh is on regular medication and on a few occasions, he has gone to get his prescription to be told he is no longer registered with the GP and that his records have been transfered to a GP surgery in another town around 40 miles away. He has also been unable to get a covid pass despite being triple vaccinated, which caused huge issues when we traveled abroad to visit family recently, not to mention the problems it is starting to cause him for work now. The issue is now with the NHS back office but is taking an age for them to sort out.

@Fordian I'm sorry if someone else has answered, already, but NHS systems are not in any way joined up. People assume that 'telling the GP' (for example) changes it on every NHS system (of the 5 we commonly use)

I know the systems aren’t joined up. What I don’t know is how, after a referral from my GP which gave my address, I was logged at the hospital as living at an address I’ve never lived at. An old address I could, sort of, understand but not one I’d never lived at!