Patient Safety
Systems linked to patient death. A referral system running on 8-year-old unsupported technology. Patient records mixed up across Wales. The Royal Colleges warned of 'delays that lead to worsening health.' This is the human cost.
The Systems That Fail Patients
Every time a GP refers a patient to hospital, the data passes through a DHCW system. Every time a nurse checks a medication, she reads a DHCW screen. When these systems fail, patients are harmed. This is not theoretical. It is documented.
WPAS — Linked to Patient Death
The Welsh Patient Administration System (WPAS) is used in almost every hospital in Wales. According to Employment Tribunal proceedings, a Health Board identified WPAS as a factor in at least one patient death and considered it their "single biggest risk to patient safety."
WCCG — Every Referral at Risk
The Welsh Clinical Communications Gateway connects GPs to hospitals. According to Employment Tribunal proceedings, it runs on technology unsupported for eight years. If it fails, every referral to secondary care in Wales stops. Sam Hall, Director at DHCW, acknowledged: "there are just a few people that know how that thing is put together."
eMPI — Records Mixed Up Across Wales
The patient identity system suffered a catastrophic outage that mixed up patient records across Wales. Patients received health communications intended for other people. Others missed screening invitations for life-threatening conditions including cancer.
Royal Colleges Warning — July 2025
The Royal College of Physicians Cymru Wales and RCGP Cymru Wales warned that patients "regularly experience delays that lead to worsening health" due to digital fragmentation.
The NHS Wales App — "Mired in Delay"
The Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Wales described the app as "mired in delay, non-delivery." The NHS App in England has 39 million registered users. Wales's is years behind.
Pandemic Preparedness — "No"
CEO Helen Thomas was asked whether Wales's digital systems were ready for another pandemic. Her answer: "Are we ready for the next one? No."
Sources: Senedd proceedings, Audit Wales reports, DHCW Public Accountability Meeting (29 January 2026), Royal Colleges joint briefing (July 2025), Digital Health interview (January 2025). Where claims derive from Employment Tribunal proceedings, this is stated.
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