This appeared last week:
Health Minister blames hospital staff 'user error' for major IT problems
By Stuart Layt
August 9, 2019 — 3.36pm
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles insists major problems with new ordering software in the state’s hospitals are due to "user error" and not a problem with the multimillion-dollar system itself.
The $135 million software was commissioned to replace supply-ordering software that was more than 20 years old.
Reports emerged on Friday that staff had been forced to buy supplies manually using credit cards and stockpile essentials such as bandages after the new S/4HANA system crashed soon after launching on August 1.
Mr Miles denied the issued were caused by a crash, and said while there had been “teething issues” with the system, they were mostly due to user error.
“The concerns I’m aware of relate to the usage of the system, not the system itself,” Mr Miles said.
“When you upgrade an IT system across an organisation with 90,000 people there is a period of time within which you expect issues to arise.
“What is important is that processes are in place to address them and that none of them affect clinical care and that is very much where we are at.”
The minister said it was “not unusual” for staff to make small purchases on credit cards and hospitals regularly “stockpile” supplies, especially at times such as the height of the flu season.
Mr Miles admitted there had been some access issues with the new system on August 1 but said that was due to a proxy server issue, not the software itself.
The LNP opposition called for Mr Miles to be sacked over the situation.
“If I was (Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk I wouldn’t let Steven Miles near a keyboard, and if I was Annastacia Palaszczuk I would sack Steven Miles today,” opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said.
Mr Miles said he didn’t take the call seriously.
“I don’t think a day has passed where Ros Bates hasn’t called for me to be sacked,” he responded.
The “user error” issues came after the project blew out by millions of dollars, following a delay to allow for more staff training.
The new software was due to go live last year under the Financial System Renewal Project but was delayed until this year, costing $30 million.
Mr Miles said he expected issues to “decrease over time” and said troubleshooters had been sent to hospitals to walk staff through the new system.
It was the latest in a series of issues relating to software in the Health Department, after a Brisbane Times investigation revealed serious concerns about patient safety and cost blowouts in the new integrated electronic medical record (ieMR) system.
More here:
Hard to know what to add other than to remind us all that careful planning of training matters with the implementation of new systems!
David.
No comments:
Post a Comment