A GLITCH in the new electronic patient record (EPR) system at Salisbury District Hospital left clinics “half-empty”, according to one of the hospital governors.

The Lorenzo system went live at the hospital on October 30, covering inpatient care, outpatient care, the emergency department, some clinical documentation, and pathology and radiology orders/results reporting.

Speaking at a Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust board meeting earlier this month, corporate development director Laurence Arnold said: “We’re in a period of stabilisation – there’s been a huge amount of work going on since our ‘go live’. November and December were extremely challenging both from an EPR perspective and the operational pressures. January has been a little bit better.”

He added: “We’ve had an upgrade of Lorenzo today and as I sit here, crossing fingers, it seems to have gone ok.”

But highlighting an issue with the new system governor Alister Lack said: “A couple of surgeons came up to me last week and said their outpatient clinics were half empty because of the failure of Lorenzo to make the bookings.”

A second phase of the system is due in July 2017 and will cover electronic prescribing, medicines administration, maternity services, and theatres.