NHS IT failures have been linked to three deaths and more than 100 cases of serious harm at NHS hospital trusts in England.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request also revealed that 200,000 medical letters had not been sent due to problems with NHS computer systems.
Over the past two years, NHS England has invested £900 million in new, improved systems, but almost half of hospital trusts with electronic patient systems have reported problems.
Coroners emphasized that these deficiencies played a role in the death of 31-year-old Emily Harkleroad.
The dietitian and swimming enthusiast collapsed in December 2022 and was taken to the emergency department at North Durham University Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a blood clot in her lung, known as a pulmonary embolism.
Coroners emphasized that these deficiencies played a role in the death of 31-year-old Emily Harkleroad
There were delays in giving her blood-thinning treatment that she urgently needed and a new computer system installed only months earlier failed to identify which patients were seriously ill and should be prioritised, an inquest heard.
Mrs. Harkleroad died the next morning. The coroner called on hospital trust and software provider Cerner, now owned by Oracle, to take action to prevent future deaths, said BBC News.
Oracle told BBC News: ‘While there is no suggestion that software was to blame in this case, we continue to work closely with our NHS partners to implement successful programs that help them provide the safest and most effective care to its 16 million citizens that use our systems. support in Britain.’
Making the switch to paperless and automated document entry is a government priority. It is hoped that this will make everyone’s health information easily accessible to GPs. hospitals and nursing homes.
However, it hasn’t been easy with the deadline now set by the Department of Health and Social Care as 2026.
Although millions have been spent on electronic health records, many face major technical problems.
Over the past two years, NHS England has invested £900 million in new, improved systems (file image)
The FOI sent to all acute hospital trusts in England, of which 116 responded, showed that these patent-compromising incidents were not isolated.
In fact, 89 trusts said there were cases where patients could suffer harm due to problems with their electronic health record (EPR) systems.
There were also 126 cases of serious harm linked to IT problems, across 31 trusts, and three deaths in two trusts, all related to EPR problems.
Another death that coroners said could have been prevented was 22-year-old Darnell Smith, who had sickle cell disease and cerebral palsy and was nonverbal.
Mr Smith was admitted to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield in November 2022 with a cough, cold symptoms and a loss of appetite, the BBC reported.
22-year-old Darnell Smith, pictured with his father Erroll, had sickle cell disease, cerebral palsy and was non-verbal. Another death that could have been prevented, coroners say
A coroner concluded that staff were not aware of his specific needs and that these were not visible in the hospital’s computerized records
Mr Smith was admitted to intensive care just hours after his care plan came to light. he was placed on a ventilator the next morning and died of pneumonia two weeks later.
A coroner concluded that staff were not aware of his specific needs and these were not visible in the hospital’s computerized records.
“For me, the IT system has to be set up in such a way that you have to see it… you know – it just doesn’t let you move on until you’ve read what you need to read,” he says. father Erroll told BBC News.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust has apologized for the care Mr Smith received and says a new IT system will be introduced this year.
Professor Erika Denton, National Medical Director for Transformation at NHS England, said: ‘Electronic health record systems have been shown to improve patient safety and care, helping doctors identify people at risk of conditions such as sepsis and prevent medication errors .
‘The NHS has invested almost £900 million over the past two years to help local organizations introduce new and improved systems so they no longer have to rely on paper records or patchwork systems – which pose much greater risks to safety, delays in healthcare and patient care. privacy.
‘However, like any other system, it is essential that they are introduced and operated to high standards, and NHS England is working closely with trusts to assess any concerns raised and provide additional support and guidance where necessary for the safe use of their systems.’