Trust claims ‘stressed’ staff are quitting over faulty IT system

An acute trust has claimed “experienced and dedicated staff” have quit their roles because of “the stress and anxiety caused by the instability” of its imaging IT system as its row with a private provider intensifies.

Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust said the picture archiving and communication system imaging software, provided by Philips, had caused “significant disruption” since its deployment in May 2023.

Trust CEO Kevin McNamara wrote in a highly critical report to the trust’s September board meeting that “the improvements we would reasonably expect from [the] supplier have not been delivered”.

As well as alleging the system’s failings were having a “serious impact” on care quality, the CEO claimed in the report that the disruption had meant “experienced and dedicated staff leaving the service and the trust due to the stress and anxiety caused by the instability of the system”.

He also alleged the trust had incurred “significant costs” due to additional staffing and outsourcing for its radiology service “to mitigate the impact of an unstable PACS system”.

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Source: HSJ, 16 September 2024