Staff at Waikato Hospital have been told management have no idea when a massive IT outage will be fixed.<\/p>\n
Health NZ spokesperson Stephanie Doe said a “network connectivity issue” had cut access to a number of applications used in Waikato hospitals.<\/p>\n
This included Waikato, Thames, Te K\u016biti, Tokoroa and Taumarunui.<\/p>\n
“Where clinical systems are impacted, hospitals are reverting to manual processes to support continuity of care.”<\/p>\n
She said hospitals were prioritising urgent care and impacted patients would be contacted directly. Patients who have not been contacted should attend their appointments as normal.<\/p>\n
She said the health agency was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
A New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate said access to patient history is limited to paper reports and any recent AI transcribed reports are not accessible.<\/p>\n
There is slowed laboratory processing using paper based systems.<\/p>\n
Doctors needed to view X-rays are required to walk to the X-ray department.<\/p>\n
The ED is still functioning, but there is slower to access information and results, so longer wait times are predicted.<\/p>\n
There is a reliance on cell phones to communicate as paging systems are not working and some patient call bells are not working.<\/p>\n
RNZ has also seen correspondence to staff which said paper-based request systems must be used in the radiology department.<\/p>\n
Theatres will continue for urgent and prioritised care, while the laboratory will be prioritising critical tests. Most outpatient clinics have also been deferred with clinical oversight.<\/p>\n
The correspondence said the impacts were varied across services, depending on whether applications were hosted on local servers.<\/p>\n
It also said the timeline to resolve the issue was “unknown.”<\/p>\n
Further correspondence advised staff there was a district-wide issue affecting the integrated software used, which was being investigated.<\/p>\n
While it was being looked into and resolved, staff were told to “maintain all clinical documentation using paper-based notes”.<\/p>\n
“Staff should also continue to record and manage all patient contacts in accordance with the current paper documentation processes.”<\/p>\n
A further update would be provided as soon as the issue was rectified and “normal system functionality has been restored.”<\/p>\n
In the meantime, they were asked to ensure all patient documentation is completed and maintained on paper; all relevant patient contacts and interventions are recorded through paper-based process; and any urgent concerns or issues are escalated through the usual channels.<\/p>\n
Staff were thanked for their patience and cooperation while it was being resolved.<\/p>\n
PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the outage was a result of “irresponsible cuts made to data and digital roles at Health New Zealand”.<\/p>\n
Fitzsimons said the outages would “become commonplace” because the date and digital expertise had been lost as a result of cost savings at Health New Zealand.<\/p>\n