Newcastle Hospitals computer error sees 25,000 patient and GP letters lost

A hospital trust failed to send out 24,000 letters from senior medical staff to patients and their GPs after they became lost in a new computer system.

Newcastle Hospital warned the problem, which dates back to 2018, is significant, and the healthcare regulator has sought urgent assurances over patient safety.

The majority of the letters explain what should happen when patients are discharged from hospital, but a significant number are written by specialist clinics spelling out care that is needed for patients, meaning that some crucial tests and results may have been missed by patients.

Martin Wilson, chief operating officer at the trust, said he wanted to reassure patients that “we are taking immediate steps to address the issue.  We sincerely apologise for any anxiety or inconvenience this may cause.”

The hospital trust said it was working to understand if there had been any impact to ongoing care and treatment of patients.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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