Crucial tests and results from scans and blood tests may have been missed by patients after a NHS hospital trust failed to send out 24,000 letters from senior doctors due to a new computer system.
The BBC reported that when letters from staff at the Newcastle hospitals foundation NHS trust had to be signed off from a senior doctor they were placed into a folder few staff knew existed and remained unsent.
The majority of the letters explained what should happen when patients were discharged from hospital but a significant number were written by specialist clinics spelling out care that was needed for patients, the broadcaster reported. Some of the letters would have been sent to GPs.
Dr George Rae, a GP and chair of the North East BMA Council, told the BBC there would be “an incredible amount of information” within the letters.
“If you didn’t get the letters, you wouldn’t have the results of scans and X-rays or blood tests,” he said.
He said GPs would be “absolutely unaware” of a change in medication or treatment if a patient had gone to hospital and received a significant diagnosis. Staff have been told to record any subsequent cases of patient harm.
The issue emerged after the health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a review when staff at the trust raised concerns about delays in sending out correspondence.
Martin Wilson, Newcastle hospitals’ chief operating officer, said the trust was “taking immediate steps to address the issue”.
“We sincerely apologise for any anxiety or inconvenience this may cause,” he said. “If any concerns are identified, we will inform patients and their GPs directly. We are taking this issue very seriously and are working quickly to put things right.”
The CQC said it was monitoring the trust closely and could inspect it at any time if it had concerns.
Sarah Dronsfield, CQC’s interim director of operations for the North Network, said: “We inspected several core services at Newcastle upon Tyne NHS trust in June and July 2023 as part of our routine inspection activity.
“Following that inspection, in September 2023, CQC received concerns from trust staff about risks to patient safety caused by delays in sending out patient correspondence.
“We took immediate action to request further detail from the trust to understand the extent to which people may be at risk, and evidence of the steps being taken to review the impact on patients, ensure people are safe and mitigate any risk of avoidable delays in treatment going forward.
“The trust has submitted an action plan and volunteered to provide weekly updates on its progress against that plan. We have received assurance to address our immediate concerns.
“However, the trust remains subject to close monitoring, and we can inspect at any time should our monitoring reveal heightened concerns or the need for further action. We will report on the full findings from our latest inspection and any areas where the trust has been required to make improvements as soon as we are able to.
“If anyone has any concerns about the care they have received they can let us know directly via Give Feedback on Care.”
