Inaccurate medical records, NHS staff fatigue and patient safety

If health records are not properly maintained, this can lead to serious injury and even the death of a patient. We can add to the patient safety mix here a fatigued nurse or doctor, too worn out to perform their role properly but striving to ‘soldier on’ and feeling a need to ‘get the job done’. Unfortunately, in such situations errors can be made in recording the treatment given to a patient, and litigation can result. Staff fatigue and poor record-keeping can combine to create a perfect storm of patient safety errors

A recent report by Healthwatch (2025) discusses the impacts of poor record-keeping and the dangers for patient safety. The impact of staff fatigue on patient safety has also been discussed by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) (2025).

The importance of good record-keeping practices has been emphasised for many years and there have been many guides and discussions on the topic.