Express & Star

Hospital records at Walsall Manor Hospital are to be electronically tagged after it emerged a number have gone missing.

One elderly patient is alleged to have had his operation cancelled twice because his records had been lost, with some files understood to be taking up to eight months to trace.

The hospital is in the process of introducing the new system, involving fitting a special chip to a file that emits a low frequency sound which can be picked up by a receiver.

It is hoped the new system will help staff to find misplaced records.

A hospital worker said today he was left “shocked” after discovering just how many records had been lost.

He said: “I was quite shocked when I first saw how bad the situation had got. In one case an elderly man had to have his operation cancelled twice because the hospital had lost his records.

“I believe there have been dozens of records misplaced. Many are found eventually but in some cases it can be seven or eight months later. Operations are being cancelled because doctors simply don’t have the patients’ notes.

“There has been quite a bit of panic and disruption over certain records that have been lost.

“This new system is in place now and the bosses are hoping this will cut out the problems.”

Hospital chiefs were today unavailable for comment but last year, a report by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) revealed that errors in tracking patients’ records were “posing serious risks to patients’ safety”.