About one in three NHS clinics and one in four private ones offering breast implant surgery in England have not submitted any patient data to a national safety registry.
NHS Digital set up the service in 2016 after the PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) breast implants scandal.
Poor record-keeping at the time of the scandal meant many of the thousands of women affected were unable to find out if they had been given faulty implants.
Women in England who have had breast implant surgery are being urged to make sure their details are added to the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry so that they can be easily traced if something were to go wrong with any brand of implant.
Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “It’s vital that patients undergoing breast implant procedures encourage their surgeons to record their details on the registry, to safeguard their health.
“The confidential record allows patients to be contacted if their safety is at risk and will hopefully give people the confidence they need when making decisions on surgery.”
Rajiv Grover, of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said it was quick and simple for health professionals to register their patients’ records.
And he hoped more women would be happy to join the register.
“The PIP scandal underlines the importance of having a national register,” he said. “Had there been one at the time, tracing the people who might need to be assessed and treated would have been much easier.”
