British troops 'are at serious risk' from chaos in IT system at military surgeries with GPs locked out of patient records
- Fears army personnel are at risk due to failing IT systems at military surgeries
- Military doctors are said to be routinely locked out of records for their patients
- Concerns that troops could miss out on vaccines or be given the wrong drugs
British troops are at serious risk due to chaos in IT systems at military surgeries across the country, it was claimed today.
Armed forces doctors are said to be routinely locked out of patient records, raising the danger that people could get the wrong drugs or miss vaccines.
The UK's 150,000 full-time members of the army, navy and RAF are cared for by around 500 GPs separately from the NHS.
But senior figures have voiced alarm at the state of the computer systems, with one telling The Times they were 'the biggest threat to patient safety that I have encountered in my 20-year career'.
Armed forces doctors are said to be routinely locked out of patient records, raising the danger that troops could get the wrong drugs or miss vaccines (file picture)
Colonel Glynn Evans, chairman of the armed forces committee of the British Medical Association (BMA), said NHS surgeries would have been shut down if they experienced the same problems.
He said doctors were anxious about the consequences of having to treat people without full information.
'They are worried about the systematic failure of the IT system not allowing them to deliver safe medical care,' he said.
'My members tell me this represents potentially material risk to the soldiers, sailors and airmen they look after.'
Among the problems apparently reported by medics are screens freezing, appointments falling out of systems, and the wrong patient's records popping up on computers.
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In Northern Ireland the military systems are said to be unable to connect to the NHS, causing delays in cancer treatment.
There are claims that doctors have been told to prescribe drugs as best they can without access to medical history.
The issue have been blaimed on delays to a £250million upgrade plan.
Medics are urging the surgeon general, Lieutenant-General Martin Bricknell, to listen to the 'very real concerns'.
Tory former defence minister Mark Francois said: 'The fact that professional medics are reporting serious problems with such a critical system is clearly a cause for concern.'
But a Ministry of Defence spokesman played down the problems, insisting very few incidents of IT failings had been reported.
The UK's 150,000 full-time members of the army, navy and RAF are cared for by around 500 GPs separately from the NHS (file picture)
'Medical support for our personnel is a top priority. We are proud to have highly-qualified professionals who would never prescribe drugs or deploy troops without doing the appropriate checks,' a spokesman said.
'IT issues have been raised in 0.001 per cent of medical consultations over the past two years, and none of these incidents have ever caused any harm.
'As with all systems, problems can occur but are rare. We have a dedicated team ready to fix any issues swiftly and we instruct clinical staff not to undertake non-emergency appointments if healthcare records can't be accessed.
'The Surgeon-General takes any concerns raised by the BMA very seriously and is absolutely committed to rectifying any issues with the current system, whilst ensuring IT is continually upgraded so it is of the highest standard.'
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