‘Forces personnel at risk due to failure of surgery IT system’

THE health of Britain’s armed forces could be at risk because of the “systematic failure” of the IT system used at military surgeries, a senior doctor has warned.

Colonel Glynn Evans, chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) armed forces committee, described the computer issues as the biggest concern to his members.

“They are worried about the systematic failure of the IT system not allowing them to deliver safe medical care,” he told The Times.

“My members tell me this represents potentially material risk to the soldiers, sailors and airmen they look after.”

The paper reported that GPs face computer screens freezing “virtually daily”, while doctors sometimes face a choice between passing personnel as fit to be deployed without being able to check their medical history, or keeping them at home as a precaution.

The Ministry of Defence admitted problems with the computer system do occur but claimed IT issues have only been raised in 0.001% of medical consultations over the past two years.

A spokesman said: “Medical support for our personnel is a top priority. We are proud to have highly qualified professionals who would never prescribe drugs or deploy troops without doing the appropriate checks. IT issues have been raised in 0.001% of medical consultations over the past two years, and none of these incidents have ever caused any harm.

“As with all systems, problems can occur but are rare. We have a dedicated team ready to fix any issues swiftly and we instruct clinical staff not to undertake non-emergency appointments if healthcare records can’t be accessed.

“The Surgeon-General takes any concerns raised by the BMA very seriously and is absolutely committed to rectifying any issues with the current system, whilst ensuring IT is continually upgraded so it is of the highest standard.”