NHS: Databases

(asked on 8th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures are in place to ensure the names of the deceased are removed from NHS databases to prevent families receiving letters addressed to someone who has died months or years previously; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Nadine Dorries Portrait
Nadine Dorries
This question was answered on 4th January 2021

We are making improvements to health records to resolve cases where letters have unfortunately been addressed to deceased individuals. Data quality checks are regularly carried out to reduce the number of patients who may be registered with the wrong general practitioner practice or who are no longer patients, either due to death or because they are no longer resident in England.

It is the responsibility of local systems to ensure records are up to date by using the Patient Demographic Service. For letters sent from NHS Digital-based systems, both formal and informal flags relating to status of death are used for assessment prior to sending, which is designed to ensure letters are not sent.

There are recent changes to increase the speed with which a death can be registered which informs Office for National Statistics data. This includes the ability to verify that death has occurred via remote consultation, sending Medical Certificates of Cause of Death electronically to the local registry office and telephone rather than physical appointments with the next of kin to complete registration.

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