HSE forgets to link maternity system to GPs

A €35m IT system designed to improve care for mothers and babies and cut down on paperwork has created more work for staff and more room for error because of a failure to link it up with GP IT systems.

The oversight means the electronic health record in the hospital and the electronic record held by family doctors cannot ‘talk’ to each other — even though GPs and maternity hospitals operate a shared-care model for mums-to-be.

Sources told the Irish Examiner this “digital gap” had resulted in significant duplication, requiring double entry of information when resources are seriously overstretched, increasing the risk of human error.