Reporting address changes by migrants: The accuracy and timeliness of reports via health card registers

Up-to-date and accurate recordings of patient address are important in health services delivery, particularly for screening, immunisation and needs assessment of areas. Patients who change address are at greater risk of having an out-dated address registered with a health professional, which in turn can have a negative impact on their access to services and on the purported health needs of the areas they move to and from. The current study investigated the accuracy and timeliness of updated address information in the Health Card Registration System compared to self-reported addresses in the 2001 Census for members of the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (c508,000) who changed address during the years 2001-2007. Males, healthy people and owner-occupiers (level-one) and urban and more socially deprived neighbourhoods (level-two) were associated with an increased risk of late updating or non-reporting of address changes in a multi-level analysis. This may be explained by lack of engagement with the health service. Accurate address information could be considered as an indicator for the Quality and Outcomes Framework in the future in an attempt to maintain accurate records.