Patient record-keeping is a “recurring theme” of serious incident reports in the Health Department, it has emerged – despite the rollout of a new £9.4m system intended to help clinicians with administration.

The issues were highlighted during a meeting of Health Advisory Board last month.

But a Health spokesperson said the department is seeking to “foster a culture of meticulous documentation”, and that improving clinical record keeping will be part of a focus on “enhancing professional standards” this year.

It has been nearly two years since a new electronic patient record system, IMS MAXIMS, was implemented across Health.

The department had previously stated the £9.4m project would “mitigate for issues with paper notes”.

Pictured: Reverend Philip Osborn’s operation was cancelled while he was in the Hospital’s waiting room after his medical files were “lost”.

Issues with the current system made headlines in 2022, when a number of paper files at the Hospital went missing.

Reverend Philip Osborn – a retired United Reformed Church minister – said his cataract surgery had been called off and rescheduled at the last minute because his paper-based medical records had been “lost”.

He also claimed that a surgeon told him it was “not an isolated case”.

At the time, a Health spokesperson said Mr Osborn’s records had not been “located in time” to prevent the postponement of his operation – but added the introduction of an electronic system would help prevent similar problems.

But during a meeting of the Health Advisory Board last month, it was noted that: “This year, there will be a particular focus on patient record keeping, which has been a recurring theme in serious incident reports.

“Ensuring accurate record keeping is seen as a lead indicator of adherence to good clinical standards.”

Pictured: A spokesperson said the Health Department was seeking to “foster a culture of meticulous documentation”.

Following queries from Express, a Health spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the importance of accurate patient record keeping, which has been highlighted in serious incident reports as a critical factor in maintaining high clinical standards.

“The Maxims system which is currently being rolled out is designed to support healthcare professionals in achieving these standards by providing a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for patient administration and electronic patient records.”

But the department stressed that the success of this initiative “relies not only on the capabilities of the Maxims system but also on the quality and accuracy of the entries made by healthcare professionals”.

The success of this initiative relies not only on the capabilities of the Maxims system but also on the quality and accuracy of the entries made by healthcare professionals

Health spokesperson

The spokesperson continued: “Consistent, current, and complete documentation is vital for ensuring continuity of care, safeguarding patient safety, and adhering to legal and regulatory requirements.

“To demonstrate our commitment to continually improve in this area, we have made enhancing professional standards as a key area of focus in 2025, with clinical record keeping being a subset.

“Our goal is to foster a culture of meticulous documentation that reflects the best practices in care.”