AROUND half a million NHS medical documents sent to the wrong place put thousands of patients at risk of harm, including those in the South West.

Of the 500,000 documents which were mistakenly put into storage rather than being forwarded on, 2,500 have been identified as having some potential risk of harm to patient care.

NHS England has launched an immediate investigation into these potentially harmful documents.

The administration error was as a result of a mail redirection company hired by the NHS failing to pass on documents when a patients in the South West, the East Midlands and north-east London had changed GP.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “Some correspondence forwarded to NHS Shared Business Services between 2011 and 2016 was not re-directed or forwarded by them to GP surgeries or linked to the medical record when the sender sent correspondence to the wrong GP or the patient changed practice.

“A team including clinical experts has reviewed that old correspondence and it has now all been delivered wherever possible to the correct practice. SBS have expressed regret for this situation.”

So far no evidence of patient harm has been confirmed.

The documents involved included around 200,000 temporary resident forms, other correspondence such as copies of test or screening results, and communications about planned next steps in treatment following appointments with other healthcare providers.

All relevant documentation has now been redirected by NHS England to the intended recipients for inclusion in the patients' medical records.

Assessment of the potential impact on patients is still being undertaken by respective GPs. Cases of potential patient harm will be subject to a further clinical review process.

The spokesman added: “NHS England is reviewing its contract management arrangements with a number of external suppliers to strengthen assurance and reporting processes.”