NHS Trusts disrupted by software failure, report

Performance issues with the Cerner Millennium EHR system have created problems in retrieving and updating patient records in a number of NHS Trusts

A number of NHS Trusts have been affected by a failure with an electronic health record (EHR) system, according to a report.

According to HSJ, which cites an internal email sent to staff at Barts Health Trust on Tuesday, there have been "performance issues" with the Cerner Millennium EHR system which have impacted Barts and a number of other Trusts.

Cerner Millenium software allows patients' records and treatments to be stored on one system.

Specifically, there have been problems with Powerchart, a program that is part of Cerner Millenium used by medical staff in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Staff have been unable to retrieve patient summaries from the system or input discharge summaries, according to the email seen by HSJ.

Thirteen NHS England trusts are known to use the Cerner Millennium software (a recent press release from Cerner claims that number is 22), but it is not known which or how many have been affected.

An NHS England spokesperson told HSJ: "We are aware that Cerner, an external company who help run electronic patient records, are having technical issues which is preventing some NHS organisations from accessing electronic patient records.

"Local NHS areas have tried and tested contingency plans in place, and people should continue to come forward to access care as they usually would."