NHS IT failures have been linked to three deaths and more than 100 cases of serious harm in NHS hospitals in England.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request also revealed that 200,000 medical letters were not sent as a result of problems with NHS IT systems.
Over the past two years, NHS England has invested £900m in new and improved systems, but almost half of hospitals with electronic patient systems have reported problems.
Coroners highlighted that these failures played a role in the death of Emily Harkleroad, 31, who collapsed in December 2022 and was taken to A&E at North Durham University Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a blood clot in the lung, known as pulmonary. She strokes.
There were delays in giving him urgently needed blood-thinning treatment and a new computer system installed only months earlier failed to identify which patients were critically ill and needed to be prioritised, an investigation found.
Coroners highlighted that these failures influenced the death of Emily Harkleroad, 31 years old.
Harkleroad died the next morning. The coroner has called on software provider and hospital trust Cerner, now owned by Oracle, to take steps to prevent future deaths, according to 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 to help them deliver the safest and most effective care to the 16 million citizens with our systems. support in the UK.’
Making the shift towards paperless technology and introducing computerized records is a government priority. It is hoped this will make everyone’s health information easily accessible to GPs. hospitals and nursing homes.
However, it has not been easy with the deadline set by the Department of Health and Social Care now in 2026.
Although millions have been spent on electronic patient records, many are experiencing significant technical problems.
In the last two years, NHS England has invested £900 million in new and improved systems (file image)
The FOI sent to all acute care hospitals in England, of which 116 responded, found that these patent-threatening incidents were not isolated.
In fact, 89 trusts said they had had cases where patients could be harmed as a result of problems with their Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems.
There were also 126 cases of serious harm related to IT problems, in 31 trusts, and three deaths in two trusts, all related to EPR problems.
Another death that coroners said could have been prevented was that of 22-year-old Darnell Smith, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and was nonverbal.
Smith was admitted to Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital in November 2022 with a cough, cold-like symptoms and poor appetite, the BBC reported.
Darnell Smith, 22, pictured with his father Erroll, had sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and did not speak, was another death that could have been prevented, coroners say.
A coroner concluded that staff were not aware of his particular needs and he was not visible in the hospital’s computerized records.
Mr Smith was admitted to intensive care several hours after his care plan came to light. He was then put on a ventilator the next morning and he died of pneumonia two weeks later.
A coroner concluded that staff were not aware of his particular needs and he was not visible in the hospital’s computerized records.
“To me, the IT system has to be set up so that you have to see it… you know, it just doesn’t allow you to go any further until you’ve read what you’re supposed to read,” he said. Father Erroll told BBC News.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust apologized for the care Mr Smith received and said a new IT system would be introduced this year.
Professor Erika Denton, National Medical Director for NHS Transformation England, said: “Electronic patient records systems have been shown to improve patient safety and care, including helping doctors detect those at risk of suffering from conditions such as sepsis and preventing medication errors.
‘The NHS has invested almost £900 million over the last two years to help local organizations introduce new and improved systems, so they are no longer reliant on paper records or fragmented systems, which carry much greater security risks,’ delays in patient care and health. privacy.
“However, like any system, it is essential that they are introduced and operated to high standards, and NHS England is working closely with trusts to review any concerns raised and provide additional support and guidance on the safe use of their systems where necessary.” .
