MORE than £250,000 of chemotherapy drugs was wasted over a four-year period because of a reliance on manual booking systems and paper diaries, it has emerged.
The old system – which has now been upgraded – meant that if a patient couldn’t make it to their chemotherapy appointment, the drugs that had already been prepared often went unused and were discarded.
However, a new system called BookWise was introduced and is now said to have saved the department tens of thousands of pounds.
The cost of wasted chemotherapy drugs between 2021 and 2024 was £250,519, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Law.
The new system now allows the oncology team to notify the pharmacy quickly if treatment is cancelled or changed to prevent drugs from being prepared in advance and wasted.
In a statement about BookWise’s launch, the Health Department said that the digital system had improved the overall process by making it “more efficient and patient-centred”.
The department explained that the technology allowed specialists to access up-to-date patient records and communicate better about treatment plans to reduce delays and improve co-ordination.
The department also said the new system provided opportunities for research and analysis.
By digitising cancer databases, the oncology team can now track cancer trends over time and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and prevention programmes.
Public Health officials can also use the data to adapt strategies and improve cancer care.
