The Welsh Conservatives have called on the Labour Government in
Cardiff Bay to ramp-up efforts to modernise NHS digital systems
due to fears that its outdated nature is damaging efforts to
deliver effective healthcare in Wales.
The NHS Tech Bundle would include:
- Requesting another UK nation for an ‘off-the-shelf’ software
system to replace the increasingly unreliable Cancer Network
Information System Cymru (CaNISC), so outdated it has caused
outages where doctors couldn’t access cancer
patient files;
- Fully rollout e-prescribing across NHS Wales, something that
was already introduced in England and Scotland since 2005 and
2009, respectively;
- Develop an NHS Wales app so, like patients in England, people
in Wales can access health records, order prescriptions, contact
a health professional, and manage appointments; and
- Abolish the use of fax machines and move to a fully digital
system.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister said:
“Wales has longest NHS waiting times in Britain and one
of the aspects holding us back is the lack of modernisation – an
analogue being in the digital age.
“Behaviours and lifestyles have changed significantly
since devolution and it’s about time we had a health service that
reflected this through innovation.
“That’s why we’ve launched our call for an NHS tech
bundle – so patients can access our NHS more efficiently, get
their prescriptions quicker, and receive the same service levels
those elsewhere in the UK can expect, while medical professionals
also benefit.
“It is essential the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay put
this into practice and NHS Wales can better serve the patients
and staff in ways it should have been doing for years.”
Notes to Editors: See below for background on each part of the
NHS Tech Bundle
-
CaNISC: In 2018, the Public Affairs Committee
did an investigation into
NHS Informatics, noting its deep concerns about the lack of
pace of change and lack of transparency. The CaNISC has been
running for over 20 years and is dependent on an unsupported
software platform which has security and reliability risks. In
evidence, Velindre stated the following: “We're well aware
of the need to actually transition away from the CaNISC
system and move towards systems used nationally… We
have got a plan to do that. We've got an
implementation period, which is going to be over the next,
probably, 18 months to two years.” Essentially, this
has still not happened – while Covid has been a factor, the
insistence of adopting a “Welsh PAS” or homegrown patient
administrative system has held progress back. The last
update is from March 2021 (link). This is
despite “off-the-shelf” systems from other parts of the UK
(NHS Digital), which
could have been used.
-
E-prescribing: An early incarnation of
e-prescribing was first proposed in England in 2005 and a fully
electronic prescription service was introduced by Scotland in
2009 – but last year, the Health Minister said it would take
five years to introduce e-prescriptions fully across Wales. The
Welsh Conservatives held a debate about this back in March.
-
NHS App: NHS users in England have access to
the NHS App which is connected to every GP practice in England
– users can order prescriptions, message or consult a GP or
professional through an online form, access health services on
behalf of someone they care for, view their GP health record,
and manage their first hospital or clinic appointment with a
specialist through the NHS e-referral service. But, in
Wales, there have been delays to an app. Instead, users are
directed to the My Health Online website. Back in February, the
Minister said to HSCC “we’re going to develop a Welsh NHS
app, and that is on course. I can’t remember when that’s
coming. I’ve got a date somewhere, but I don’t have it to
hand”. Shockingly, the Covid tracing app was delayed
in Wales because of an insistence of developing a Wales-only
brand through NHSX, before the Welsh Government caved and went
for the UK Government’s one
– they said it would be ready by May but it didn’t happen.
-
Fax machines: In 2022, fax machines are
still being bought
because of a lack of progress in sharing electronic patient
records. The Health and Social Care
Committee heard the following evidence as part of its report
into hospital discharges: “We have just bought a fax
machine for the new hospital. For heavens' sake. What are we
doing? GPs fax referrals into the emergency unit. I never see
it. Why is that not e-mailed to me? Because I can't deal with
the emergency information if the emergency information doesn't
get to me” (Dr Karl Davis of the British Geriatrics
Society); “In other parts of the UK, they've now given care
providers NHS e-mail addresses, which enables records to be
transferred more easily and more securely. It's something we're
in conversation about in Wales, but it hasn't happened yet. So,
it might be something that you want to recommend as part of the
system changes.” (, Care Forum Wales).
