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

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”.

Philips told HSJ  it was “unable to provide a comment” on the issues.

The disruption to the Philips VUE PACS system was resulting in longer waiting times, including for breast cancer screening, and reduced capacity and appointments, Mr McNamara said.

He continued that a new version of the PACS system is now being tested at the trust. Philips, a major supplier of imaging software to the NHS, believes this will fix the most common causes of the outages.

But he warned “there have been previous occasions where it has appeared positive progress is being made, only for instability to remain”.

“As a result of the serious impact the instability caused by the Philips VUE system has had on the quality of care, our teams and operational delivery within the trust over the last 16 months and that these issues have not been definitively resolved in that timeframe, we currently have limited confidence in Philips’ ability to deliver. Too often, we are reliant on business continuity processes owing to the instability of the system.”

The trust’s decision to criticise the provider in its public board papers marks the latest chapter in its dispute with the company.

Last November, HSJ reported that Gloucestershire Hospitals FT was seeking compensation from Philips due to the disruption caused by the faulty PACS system in the first six months it had been installed.

But Mr McNamara said the trust has “failed to reach agreement with Philips” regarding the additional outsourcing and staffing costs. He told the board he has triggered a clause in the trust’s contract with the company to move to independent mediation, which he expects will begin in October. 

He added Gloucestershire Hospitals FT has spoken to other trusts with later versions of Philips VUE, who reported their systems “are by no means problem free”.