Good patient care depends largely on well-kept medical records. Healthcare facilities deal with so much paperwork day in and day out, from medical charts, notes from healthcare workers, imaging records, equipment logs, financial receipts, and more. All these documents serve specific purposes and are all vital elements of every hospital and clinic running smoothly.
Medical records are some of the most sensitive and valuable documents that follow a person throughout his or her life. It contains details about their medical history, lifestyles, finances, and private information. It’s crucial for healthcare facilities to ensure that their records storage is as safe and secure as possible.
NHS Records Management Code of Practice
The NHS Records Management Code of Practice provides a framework for effective records management based on established standards. Different types of records are kept for different amounts of time.
The retention schedule for medical records is as follows:
GP records – At least ten years after death or after leaving the UK.
Maternity records – At least 25 years after the birth of the youngest child.
Children’s medical records – At least eight years after death or until their 25th birthday.
Mental health records – At least 20 years, or eight years after their death.
Dental records – At least 30 years, destruction must be authorised.
Electronic patient records must be stored for the foreseeable future.
All medical records are highly confidential and can only be accessed by the patient and authorised healthcare professionals. Other people can be granted access if they are acting on the patient’s behalf and with their consent, if they have power of attorney, or if they have a legal basis to look at their medical records.
Why NHS Records Should Be Kept
If you are working with or in the NHS, keeping NHS records in storage is important. Here are four critical reasons why:
- Legal purposes – NHS policy dictates that all medical records should be kept for a specific period. This applies to all healthcare providers, private or public.
- Audit purposes – Healthcare facilities are regularly audited to measure performance, financial reasons, or general health and safety. Accurate medical records are necessary to fulfil the requirements of any type of audit. Failure to present documents will result in low performance ratings or even sanctions by the auditing body.
- Administration purposes – Medical records aren’t limited to information about the patient. It also includes documents crucial to running a medical facility, such as correspondence, meeting notes, payroll logs, and other administrative documents. Risk assessment logs and incident records should be retained for management’s future reference.
- Patient requests – Upon request, medical records can be retained indefinitely if it is in the public interest.
PP Healthcare Solutions Hospital Records Storage
Keeping decades’ worth of hospital records can be a challenge at best and impossible at worst. PP Healthcare Solutions manufactures the highest quality of hospital records storage in the UK. Whether you need freestanding shelving, bespoke cabinets, or roller storage modules, you can store your records most efficiently and effectively. You are assured of high-quality services and the finest products in the industry.
Conclusion
The National Health Service mandates that all medical records be kept well beyond a patient’s lifetime. It is the duty of every healthcare facility to keep all documents safe and secure over the years. There are many storage options and solutions that will help contain all kinds of hospital records.
Are you looking for medical storage units, modular cabinets, specialised storage, or other storage solutions for your healthcare facility? PP Healthcare Solutions provides complete storage, distribution, and stock control solutions to all hospital departments. We offer the finest customer service possible. Check out our catalogues for our comprehensive range of products, and contact us today!