THOUSANDS of hospital discharge letters may not have reached GP practices following an IT problem affecting electronic communications between the Hospital and family doctor, it has emerged.
Health Minister Tom Binet confirmed in a statement shortly after 3pm that around 7,300 discharge letters issued since February may not have been delivered electronically because of a problem with third-party software linking hospital and GP computer systems.
The affected letters account for around 27% of all discharge summaries issued during the period, he said.
Discharge letters are used to tell GPs why a patient attended hospital, what treatment they received, whether medication was changed and whether any follow-up care, tests or referrals are required.
Senator Binet stressed that “no data has been lost as a result of this issue”, adding: “The discharge letters remain available and work is underway to make sure GP practices receive the information they need.”
“Health department staff and GPs are working closely together to resolve the issue and review any impact on patients,” he continued.
“GP practices will receive a report tomorrow, Thursday 16 July, to help them identify any patients who may have been affected. GPs will review this information and, if they have any concerns about your care, they will contact you directly.”
As an immediate measure, paper discharge letters are now being produced in the Emergency Department and given directly to patients when they leave hospital.
The Health Minister said Islanders “do not need to take any action at this stage”.
He added that the incident highlighted the “importance of improving digital systems across health and social care, and why investment is being made to improve the sharing of medical information safely and reliably”.
“We apologise for any concern this may cause. We are working as quickly as possible to restore fully reliable links and ensure that GP practices consistently receive electronic discharge summaries,” the minister concluded.
