The NHS’ GBP6.2 billion patient record system has come under attack following reports that its implementation at one UK hospital created serious problems and compromised patient safety.
Oxford’s Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre is said to have complained of major difficulties it encountered when it moved to the patient record system.
Nuffield is reported to have identified ‘major issues of patient safety’ citing the potential for patients to be lost in the system and operational difficulties that had created a backlog of appointments.
Part of the government’s vision for NHS modernization, the Care Records System was developed with a view to creating a centralized electronic medical records system whereby a patient’s medical history, medication records included, can be shared across health organizations.
A spokeswoman for ‘NHS Connecting for Health’, the body responsible for delivering National Program for IT, has reportedly denied that patient safety was ever compromised. Admitting that the system had created problems however, the spokeswoman claimed ‘NHS Connecting for Health’ was doing everything it could to address the problem.
