The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Tayside and Fife patients forced to duplicate tests
EXCLUSIVE: Different storage systems mean records cannot be shared
Patients in Tayside and Fife are being forced to repeat blood, urine and tissue tests because the health boards have opted to use separate computer recording systems, The Courier can reveal.
NHS Fife and Tayside use different digital document stores, meaning clinicians in Tayside cannot access information on patients from Fife.
The Courier was told by patients that health boards even rely on the post to share results with each other.
The issue stems from Tayside prioritising data sharing with other care providers in Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross over its NHS counterpart in Fife.
Because of the location and services available at Ninewells Hospital, it often provides treatment to those living in northern areas of Fife who are referred there by their doctor.
In an email seen by this newspaper, sent from the office of Jenny Bodie, NHS Tayside’s director of eHealth, it is claimed the different configurations make it “a little more complex but not impossible” to share information.
Tayside opted to use a clinical document store for its lab results, which can be accessed by a “far wider number of authorised individuals across Tayside in both second and primary care” in addition to other health board areas where prior sharing agreements are in place.
It is claimed information can be shared with Fife, but “additional steps” are needed for clinical staff to access the information.
In a joint statement, made by Jenny Bodie and Lesly Donovan, NHS Fife’s director of eHealth, the health boards admitted the problem was an issue.
“We recognise that this issue affects a number of Fife patients being treated in NHS Tayside,” they said.
“However, patients should be reassured that both boards are working together and there are information sharing agreements in place to resolve this issue.
“Work to implement these agreements has made it possible for NHS Tayside and NHS Fife to share information with several neighbouring health boards.
“NHS Fife clinicians can already view information on NHS Tayside’s system and NHS Tayside will shortly begin a pilot project that will allow clinicians to view information on patients being treated from NHS Fife.”
Currently, 3% of tests being carried out for patients who live in Fife and are being treated in Tayside, who require specific laboratory tests, are being duplicated.
However, it is thought many more patients are facing delays to their journey as a result of the set-up.
Ms Bodie and Ms Donovan added: “All NHS boards are also moving towards standard infrastructure and systems to enable information to be shared more efficiently at point of care.”
The repetition of blood tests by patients from Fife being treated in Dundee is an example of inefficient waste which is adding to the crippling financial burden on local health boards.
Despite NHS Tayside and NHS Fife being neighbouring health authorities, and a regular flow of patients from north east Fife to Ninewells, their computer systems do not match up.
It means sometimes distressed patients having to undergo the same procedure twice. It is an unnecessary and unacceptable situation.
The health boards have given an assurance that work is being undertaken to eradicate the anomaly.
Successful links have been achieved between neighbouring areas within NHS Tayside so a project to connect Fife and Tayside should be possible.
During an in-depth study into the changing face of the NHS conducted last year, The Courier reported how waste is one of the key issues the organisation needs to tackle.
Appealing for patients to stop missing scheduled appointments, NHS Tayside revealed the average outpatient session costs £124.
It is a relatively small amount in the context of the wider NHS budget but it all adds up.
The same can be said of instances where multiple similar procedures must be undertaken because of an IT issue.
This is truly an instance of “physician, heal thyself.”