Better hospital IT 'would save thousands of lives’

Better use of information technology in England's hospitals could help prevent 16,000 deaths a year, a report says. University Hospitals Birmingham has recommended its system to the team investigating above-average death rates from 2005 to 2008 at Stafford Hospital. The trust says it saw a 17% fall in deaths amongst emergency patients over 12 months, which would equate to 16,000 deaths prevented across England.

In this situation, the guaranteed continual operation of critical systems could save not only money, but lives. This highlights the importance of ensuring that preventative action is taken to make sure all aspects of businesses are protected and are able to continue to operate effectively in the event of a disaster or disruption to their IT systems.

The full article is available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15340102

This article has been created by Mark Allen, Health & Safety Officer with Blue Chip. Mark can be contacted via marka@bluechip.co.uk