Concerns Over 34 Patients “Lost To Follow Up” At Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

To deliver safe and effective medical care, it’s fundamental that NHS Trusts ensure all their staff understand their individual responsibilities to follow protocols and procedure. 

It is deeply worrying to hear that 34 patients under the care of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust have suffered at least moderate harm after being lost to follow up between January 2022 and April 2024. 

The problems were revealed by the Health Service Journal following a Freedom of Information request to the NHS Trust for a ‘deep dive’ report into the incidents. 

Patients lost to follow up might have been referred to another specialism but no appointment received or they needed to be seen to discuss results of investigations, which did not happen. Some patients can suffer harm if their medical conditions are not correctly managed and treated, and sometimes with devastating effects. 

What is further concerning is that the NHS has acknowledged that patients being lost to follow up is a wider issue across the NHS. These administrative, technological, and/or clinical failures must be addressed, so too must the backlogs. 

We see many cases where our clients have been harmed as a result of a failure to act upon test results either at all or in a timely matter, for a variety of reasons. The impact on those affected can be very significant resulting in severe harm and in some cases, can be fatal. 

The NHS needs to investigate these issues and put in place plans to address the failings to prevent further patients coming to harm. 

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