Queensland Health Feels There A Few Major Risks to Ongoing IT Service Delivery For Their Health System. Wants More Money!

The following release was sent to me today.

Press Release

Mark McArdle MP

Shadow Minister for Health

LNP Member for Caloundra

7 September 2011

Labor’s health IT bungles spread from payroll to patients

The Bligh Labor Government’s health IT bungling has spread from payroll to patients and could cost another half a billion dollars to fix, a secret Queensland Health ‘risk report card’ obtained by the State Opposition reveals.

In State Parliament today, the LNP tabled a leaked extract from Queensland Health’s ICT Portfolio Plan 2011 – 15 which identified IT “risks” resulting in “major” to “extreme” consequences for patients and the State Government.

These included:

·         That the discontinuation of the current Patient Administration System could result in “the inability to register, admit, transfer and discharge patients as well as effectively manage clinical and financial patient information”.

·         The “inability to provide quality information to support quality of care”.

·         “Insufficient funding for business-as-usual activities and change programs” including the new local hospital networks being established under Federal health reforms and the health payroll overhaul recommended by the Ernst and Young report.

·         “Inability to acquire suitable workforce capability”.

Labor’s secret health IT risk report card reveals it would cost $438.8 million to upgrade or replace the current Patient Administration System, and work needs to start from July 2012.

This is on top of the $307 million budgeted for the eHealth Strategy and the $220 million needed to fix the health payroll debacle.

LNP Shadow Minister for Health Mark McArdle said Labor’s secret risk report card was a damning assessment of Labor’s chaotic management of Queensland Health’s IT program.

“The systemic leadership and management failures of the health payroll system have spread to the entire Queensland Health IT program under Health Minister Geoff Wilson,” said Mr McArdle.

“Put simply, patients’ lives could be put at risk because Labor has failed to properly plan and deliver health IT infrastructure.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted fixing up Labor’s health payroll debacle, and now we learn hundreds of millions of dollars more will need to be spent to ensure patients’ records are accurate.”

Mr McArdle said the report would also spark fears Queensland could miss out on Federal funding because the State Government was not fully prepared for the changes required under the National Health and Hospital Networks Program.

“This damning report reveals that the Bligh Labor Government is struggling to ensure that the new hospital networks have the IT infrastructure in place in time, and that the health payroll overhaul actually happens,” Mr McArdle said.

“The Queensland Health IT debacles that started under Paul Lucas continue under Health Minister Geoff Wilson, who has now been in the job 200 days.

“Both Paul Lucas and Geoff Wilson are culpable for Queensland Health’s multiple IT deficiencies.

“Every Queenslander has the right to ask when will this tired, 20 year old Labor Government finally fix their bungled IT systems?

“The LNP will save you money and deliver more by getting action on the basics and cutting waste. We’ll forward plan, not live for the moment.

----- End Quote:

I have seen the extract from “ Commercial in Confidence - ICT Portfolio Plan 2011-15 Part A v1.0 FINAL” Page 22 of 83 on which the quotes in this release are based and what is quoted is mild. Clearly some worried Queensland Health Staff are wanting a great deal more money to operate and are using some interesting tactics to try and raise interest! Go for it is all I can say - but spend sensibly. I note in the part I saw the PCEHR does not get a gurnsey!

Fun stuff and I look forward to someone sending me the full report!

David.