Mental health referrals missed because of fault with electronic system

ONE VULNERABLE PATIENT BECAME 'VERY UNWELL' AS A RESULT

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY

A MENTAL health patient was harmed after an NHS IT fault meant medics were unable to see if vulnerable patients had been referred to them.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides mental health care across the region, has been missing referrals from GPs due to a technical fault that has left vulnerable patients without care.

For months mental health medics have been unable to see requests made through the NHS’s electronic Referral System (e-RS) unless the patient’sGP directly contacted the trust with a unique reference number. A memo sent to the trust’s staff explained the issue had resulted in one patient becoming “very unwell” as they had been lost in the faulty system and had not received timely treatment.