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There's going to be a six month delay at least before the island's new Electronic Patient Record system can go live.
HSC had wanted it to be ready for use by October this year, but the committee's President has now said that it's unlikely to be ready before March next year.
The change to the new system - which has cost the island up to £20million - was agreed by the States four years ago.
The new system is intended to improve patient records with doctors and other healthcare practitioners better able to efficiently and securely record, track, and analyse their data.
But, as the due date draws near the President of Health and Social Care has confirmed it won't be going live this year.
"...the Committee was verbally advised on 30 April that there is likely to be a need to extend the October ‘go live’ date for the first implementation stage of the EPR to 2025," wrote Deputy Al Brouard in a message to his political colleagues this week.
Pictured: HSC President Al Brouard.
"It is critical that the transfer of old records to the new system goes well and that support for the new working practices are in place," he added.
"Accordingly, the project team is concerned that we will be taking too much risk to go live in October. Initial indications at this time are that it will be necessary to move the first implementation stage to the end of Quarter 1 of 2025. The wider implications, including potential cost impacts, if any, are currently being evaluated. Further information will be provided as soon as possible."
The current system used by health professionals across HSC and the MSG was described as "outdated" in early 2020, when the States were asked to fund a replacement. Deputies were warned at the time that the existing system would stop working from the end of March 2021.
The States’ Health and Social Care services, including all those based at the hospital and in the community, have been using an electronic system known as TRAKCare 2012, provided by a company called InterSystems, to store and use patients' records. That system is understood to no longer be supported by the provider.
Pictured (clockwise from left): Health and Social Care's political committee is Deputy Al Brouard; President, Deputy Gavin St Pier, Deputy Marc Leadbeater; Vice-President, Deputy Alex Snowdon, and Deputy Aidan Matthews.
Anticipating the delay in delivering the EPR, and pressures on other aspects of HSC's work, Deputy Brouard said the committee has appointed committee members to various work programmes to keep a close eye on what is happening.
Deputy Aidan Matthews has been appointed to the Electronic Patient Record Programme, while non-States member Dr George Oswald has been appointed to the 'Our Community Services' Programme.
With concerns over rising costs on the hospital modernisation project, Deputies Marc Leadbeater and Gavin St Pier have been appointed to the ‘Our Hospital Modernisation’ (OHM) Programme.
Deputy Brouard added the caveat that these may not be permanent roles though, as there is an ongoing review commissioned by the Head of the Public Service considering whether politicians are best placed on Programme or Project Boards.
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