Hancock declares war on ‘downright dangerous’ IT systems risking lives in the NHS

“DOWNRIGHT dangerous” NHS IT systems are risking the lives of patients, the new Health Secretary warns today.

Matt Hancock vowes to “bring the NHS into the 21st century” as he launches a “bonfire of the fax machines” and wages war on outdated technology.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he says the lack of basic systems to transfer vital patient information was hindering the efforts of medics, paramedics and nurses to save lives.

“The fact that your hospital can’t see your GP record, or that you as a patient don’t have control over your own data, or that even within the same hospital different departments have to write down basic details is expensive, frustrating for staff, and risks patient safety,” Mr Hancock warns.

He highlights the tragic case of Tamara Mills, 13, from Newcastle, who died of an asthma attack, despite having been seen by health professionals 47 times in different parts of the NHS.

But the lack of a clear record, showing repeated trips to Accident & Emergency departments, and increased reliance on medication, meant no one detected that her condition was deteriorating before her death in 2015.

Mr Hancock, who has made technology one of his key priorities for the NHS, suggests the lack of basic interoperability between hospitals, GPS and ambulance services is costing lives.

“A world where we ask an ill patient over and over for their past medical history is a problem. A world in which a hospital can’t pull up a patient’s GP record to see the reason for stopping and starting medications is downright dangerous,” he writes.

Today, the Health Secretary, appointed in July, will announce a £200million fund to assist NHS trusts in developing systems that work across the NHS. He will tell the Health and Care Innovation Expo in Manchester that generic technology available outside the NHS is “a million times better” than that in use by doctors and nurses.

And Mr Hancock is expected to announce that a new NHS app will begin being tested in five parts of the country by the end of this month, enabling patients to book GP appointments, access the NHS 111 service, view their medical records and record their organ donation preferences. The scheme will be tested in Liverpool, Hastings, Bristol, Staffordshire and South Worcestershire, and rolled out nationally by the end of this year.

Mr Hancock says the NHS cannot afford to shy away from reform.