Patients have faced two days of 'chaos' and delays of more than 12 hours after hospitals in Manchester changed computer systems. Long delays - prompting ironic cheers - have have been reported at A&E, while some patients have been turned away from appointments in the city.
The issue has been affecting hospitals run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust since yesterday (September 8). They include Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe Hospital, where the Manchester Evening News has been told of long A&E delays.
One patient contacted the M.E.N. while at Wythenshawe Hospital today, having arrived on Thursday afternoon. She said: "I am, at the minute, a patient in A&E in Wythenshawe. I arrived on Thursday (September 8) at 4.45pm.
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"I eventually was called after 16-and-a-half hours. A new computer system was put into use across the hospital yesterday and today they are in chaos because of it."
Another Wythenshawe patient told the M.E.N. of a 12-hour delay at the hospital's A&E earlier today, while at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) people were being warned about delays caused by the switch to a new computer system. A patient at MRI this afternoon (Friday) said: "They've changed all the computer systems in hospital.
"Nurses are saying that's causing a backlog. There were a few people who had been here since 9am. When they finally were seen people cheered."
Meanwhile, patients were reportedly turned away from North Manchester General Hospital yesterday as consultants were unable to access medical records. A sign (pictured below) greeted patients at a hospital entrance, warning that 'clinics may be delayed due to the implementation of a new computer system'.
A patient who had been due to attend a gastroenterologist appointment on Thursday afternoon said: "I had an email the day before to check-in online, so nothing seemed out of order. I went to pay for the car park, went into the entrance and saw that sign. I thought, that's no problem, it takes as long as it takes."
Having visited the reception, the patient says she was moved to another department where there was a 'queue of people'. She said: "There was a nurse saying 'I'm sorry your appointment is cancelled today, the system is down, we've migrated to a new system and we can't see you'.
"They brought a manager over, she said a similar thing but said she would speak to doctors. They said it was unsafe because they did not have access to medical records or any test results and could not book anything with regard to current or future test results because the system is down.
"It was like 'sorry, off you pop', that's how it felt. There were at least 10 to 15 people turned away. I appreciate they needed to migrate to a new system, but they should have tested the system and informed patients."
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “Thousands of patients use our services every day, and we would apologise for any inconvenience. We have been facing particularly high demand recently, and anyone with a minor ailment is likely to be waiting longer than we would want.
“The NHS 111 service is available 24/7 to call or online, and will direct you to the quickest access for your particular healthcare issue. Our Patient Advice and Liaison team are always available to discuss things further with patients.”
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