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Islington Tribune - by TOM FOOT
Published: 26 September 2008

Hospital computer system fails filing test

MOORFIELDS Eye Hospital has been criticised by a government watchdog for botched patient records.
The Audit Commission – the public services watchdog – analysed 135 sets of patient records logged on a computer system, and found more than a third were filed incorrectly.
It also found that instructions used by “coders” using the computer system were out of date and that the coding department was under-resourced and had a “skills deficit”.
The commission recommended an “urgent review” of hospital procedure and called for more staff to be hired and better training to be implemented immediately.
The digital system was introduced in 2006 as part of a government drive to introduce competition into the healthcare system.
All records of patient care in the hospital are coded and then sent to NHS London, which uses the information to work out funding levels.
The City Road hospital said it had taken immediate steps to address the problems, including hiring an extra member of staff and sending all its coding staff on training courses.
Islington Primary Care Trust has arranged to make its own inspection of patient notes in February.

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