NEWS: NHS IT failures linked to deaths

As reported by BBC News, IT system failures in NHS hospitals have led to patient deaths and serious harm, highlighting urgent issues with electronic records

A Freedom of Information request also found 200,000 medical letters had gone unsent due to widespread problems with NHS computer systems.

Nearly half of hospital trusts with electronic patient systems reported issues that could affect patients.

NHS England says it has invested £900m over the past two years to help introduce new and improved systems.

Introducing computerised records and making the NHS paperless is a government priority in England. The aim is for everyone’s health information to be accessible to GPs, hospitals and care homes at the touch of a button.

But there have been numerous false starts. The latest deadline, set by the Department of Health and Social Care, is now 2026.

Some hospital trusts have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on new electronic patient record (EPR) systems, but BBC News has discovered many are experiencing major problems with how they work.

‘He was our rock’

Separate to our FOI investigation, coroners have highlighted the role that hospital IT systems have played in the deaths of some patients. Twenty-two-year-old Darnell Smith’s case is one example.

“He was our rock, you know. He had a big personality. Words can’t really explain how much he was to us…” says Erroll Smith of his son, Darnell.

Darnell had sickle cell disease, cerebral palsy and was non-verbal. He was admitted to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, in Sheffield, with a cough and cold-like symptoms and a reduced appetite, in November 2022.

He should have had his vital signs – heart rate, blood pressure and temperature – checked by staff every hour for a minimum of six hours – but there were no checks for more than 12.

Staff were not aware of Darnell’s particular needs because his personal care plan was not easily visible in the hospital’s computerised records, a coroner later concluded.

His father told BBC News: “For me, the IT system should be set up in a way where you have to see it… you know – it just doesn’t allow you to move any further until you’ve read what you’re supposed to read.”

Several hours after his care plan came to light, Darnell was admitted to critical care and was put on a ventilator the next morning. He died from pneumonia two weeks later.

Following an inquest, the coroner warned of a “real risk of further deaths” if doctors couldn’t access important information about patients’ care needs.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust has apologised for the care Darnell received. They say they have already made changes to limit the chances of this happening again and a new IT system is being introduced this year.

In September, we reported that more than 24,000 letters from Newcastle hospitals had not been sent from their EPR system and more than 400,000 letters had got lost in computer systems at hospitals in Nottingham.

Serious patient harm

A Freedom of Information request sent to all acute hospital trusts in England, of which 116 responded, found that these were not isolated incidents:

• 89 trusts confirmed they monitored and logged instances when patients could be harmed as a result of problems with their Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems
• almost half recorded instances of potential patient harm linked to their systems
• nearly 60 trusts reported IT problems that could affect patient care
• more than 200,000 letters were not sent across 21 trusts
• there were 126 instances of serious harm linked to IT issues, across 31 trusts
• and three deaths across two trusts related to EPR problems

‘Keep people safe’

The failure by hospitals to send out letters to GPs and patients could mean anything from an appointment to a cancer diagnosis or change of medication being missed.

The Royal College of GPs said it was shocked and surprised by the findings.

“Now that we know there is a problem, it is crazy not to do something quickly in order to save lives and keep people safe,” said Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the college.

Separately, a number of clinicians contacted BBC News about electronic patient record systems. None of them wanted to be named because of fears over speaking out.

Some of their concerns about the computer systems include:

• “It makes finding critical information very difficult, or impossible”
• “Medication errors have occurred, missed doses of antibiotics have occurred”
• “Clinical information can be buried anywhere”
• “Incorrect patient details on theatre lists, incorrect operations listed, incorrect allergy status”

Providing support

NHS England said electronic patient record systems had been shown to improve safety and care for patients, by helping clinicians detect those at risk from conditions such as sepsis.

“The NHS has invested nearly £900m over the past two years to help local organisations introduce new and improved systems, so they are no longer relying on paper records or patchwork systems – which carry far greater risks to safety, care delays, and patient privacy,” said Professor Erika Denton, national medical director for transformation at NHS England.

“However, like any system, it’s 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 required.”