MTAS and other NHS websites

[Peter Tomlinson]

PeteM wrote:

> Peter Tomlinson wrote:
>
>> (A note about data errors: my local health centre has the incorrect 
>> spelling for the name of my street - not an alternative, just wrong: 
>> there is a letter missing from the name. Asked to correct it, they 
>> said they cannot. Will I thus become a non-person when the data gets 
>> uploaded to the big database?)
>
> It will be especially entertaining for people whose Spine records are 
> mistakenly labelled "deceased". Not only will they not be able to get 
> any more NHS treatment, but their demise will be communicated to DWP 
> who will stop their benefits and pensions and cancel their NI cards so 
> that they can't work. DVLA will have to be told, so that their driving 
> licenses can be suspended. HMRC in turn will be informed and will 
> freeze all relevant bank accounts. Their ID cards will of course be 
> cancelled as a matter of routine.
>
> After that there won't be any way for them to complain that a mistake 
> has been made, because the National Identity Register system is 
> designed to reject complaints apparently coming from a deceased 
> person. And no-one else can complain on their behalf, because that 
> would be against the Data Protection Act.
>
> The unfortunate non-citizen will then have to go and live on roots and 
> berries in the woods. Like Doc Daneeka in "Catch 22".

Which reminds me of another incident: several years ago my gas supply 
account was stolen by Scottish Power in the name of a person that I had 
never heard of and still don't have proof existed. Because I was not 
Scottish Power's new customer at this address, they were not obliged to 
take any notice of me. They even claimed that letters to their 
registered office had not been delivered (I must note that SP's 
management has changed since then). DTI was worse than useless in 
unravelling this or even understanding how it could happen. Eventually 
my account was returned to the existing supplier who had initially been 
very unhelpful, and SP paid £50. Should have been £1K. The public sector 
needs to do better in the services that it provides and in the 
regulation of other services.

Peter