The overall assessment from the National Audit Office is “strongly objectionable”. That is the strongest criticism they can come up with, says auditor-general Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen: – The planning, organization and introduction of the Health Platform in Central Norway is strongly criticised. It is the National Audit Office’s most serious criticism, and we rarely use it. Only when we find serious weaknesses, errors and deficiencies that could have very large consequences for individuals or society. The National Audit Office has investigated the case together with the municipal audit office in Trondheim. – We have made several disturbing discoveries related to patient safety in the introduction of the Health Platform. The system is perceived as unintuitive, complex and time-consuming to use, and employees spend a lot of time looking for information, says director of Trondheim municipal audit, Per Olav Nilsen in a press release. Acknowledges the criticism – We recognize that there have been significant weaknesses with the introduction of the Health Platform in Central Norway. We accept that the National Audit Office has concluded that the planning, organization and regional management of the project has been strongly criticised, says CEO of Helse Midt-Norge Jan Frich. Jan Frich in Helse Midt-Norge takes the criticism to heart Photo: Bjørn Olav Nordahl / news Chairman of Helse Midt-Norge RHF, Odd Inge Mjøen, says that the criticism is serious, but justified. – Our external investigation report came with a number of recommendations, which we have addressed. We are still working on making the system better, says Mjøen. About the health platform The health platform is a new joint patient record system and collaboration solution for municipalities, hospitals, GPs and private specialists in central Norway. The aim is increased quality in patient care, better patient safety, more user-friendly systems and to enable healthcare personnel to perform their tasks in a better and more efficient way. The health platform will contribute to achieving the goals of the government’s IT initiative “One citizen – one record”: Health personnel must have easy and secure access to patient and user information. Citizens must have access to simple and secure digital services. Data must be available for quality improvement, health monitoring, management and research. Trondheim municipality and St. Olav Hospital put the health platform into use in 2022. Since then, several serious problems have been uncovered, including with the flow of information. The consequences have been reduced patient safety and ineffective patient treatment. Source: The National Audit Office Auditor General Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen. Photo: Ksenia Novikova It was in March 2023 that it was proposed that the municipal audit in Trondheim should engage in dialogue with the National Audit Office about a collaborative project on the Health Platform. Believes the health platform must be scrapped William Lossius is a surgeon at the Gastrosenteret at St. Olav’s hospital. He has been involved in introducing and later getting used to working with the Health Platform. – It has been frustrating. There was a lot of mess in the beginning. Extremely messy. Things have gradually improved a little, but we are left with a system that clearly worked worse than the one we had. Lossius has no doubts about what he thinks should happen: – It should just be discontinued. We should just recognize that this was a project with great ambitions, which unfortunately did not succeed. In that case, you must urgently look at establishing a working journal solution. – Should it be scrapped? – Yes. – Because it’s so bad? – Yes, absolutely. William Lossius is a surgeon at St. Olav’s hospital. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – There are quite a few billions out of the window, then? – It is anyway. Those billions have been used up. So it doesn’t matter how many billions we have spent up to now. What matters is what it will cost us going forward. If we have an inefficient solution, it will always result in additional costs. In a leak in Sunnmørsposten, it is stated that developing, introducing and operating the record system has cost 6.6 billion. The original framework for the introduction project was NOK 4.1 billion. Criticism The investigation includes, among other things: The status of the problems that have arisen Whether there has been realistic budgeting for the acquisition, introduction, operation and further development of the Health Platform The most important explanations for the problems – We will shed light on how Central Norway Health, Helseplatformen AS, St Olav’s hospital and Trondheim municipality have worked to plan the introduction and solve the problems that have arisen. We will also assess the preparations for the introduction in Helse Møre and Romsdal. That is what the National Audit Office writes. Published 24.10.2024, at 10.48 Updated 24.10.2024, at 11.11
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The National Audit Office presents the results of the survey on the Health Platform – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
