Over 2,000 “Untracked” Patients Discovered at Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust

Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust (PAHT) in Essex has identified more than 2,000 patients who were removed from waiting lists without being seen, due to a national referral system that automatically deletes cases after 180 days if no appointment slot can be found.

The discovery has led to a review of potential harm for 650 patients, some of whom have been waiting more than 15 months for treatment or diagnosis. The Trust has since contacted those affected and is reviewing whether any came to harm as a result of the issue.

The problem stems from the national e-Referral Service (eRS) – a system used across the NHS to manage patient referrals. When a hospital is unable to book an appointment within 180 days, the referral automatically expires and disappears from the system. As a result, patients can effectively “fall off” waiting lists, leaving them untracked unless trusts manually monitor and re-enter the cases.

Similar issues have been identified at other NHS trusts in recent years, including Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Medway Foundation Trust, both of which were forced to review thousands of cases removed in the same way.

While PAHT has stated that no harm has yet been identified, the scale of the issue raises serious concerns about patient safety and the reliability of national referral systems.

“An unacceptable systems failure”

Francesca Paul, Partner and medical negligence specialist at Fletchers Solicitors, said:

“We know that the NHS is under immense pressure and that waiting times are longer than anyone would wish, however losing patients from waiting lists who could be waiting for diagnosis or treatment for potentially serious conditions is deeply concerning. This is especially worrying that this was an issue which has been previously identified at other Trusts.

As a specialist medical negligence partner, I regularly have clients who have fallen through the cracks due to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, but to exacerbate this through a system error is not acceptable. This could have a huge impact on patients who, through no fault of their own, are left without care or diagnosis at a critical time leading to serious impacts.”

The Trust has said that affected patients are now being prioritised and that an automated system is being tested to prevent future errors. However, the incident has placed further pressure on already stretched services and is expected to impact the Trust’s 18-week treatment target performance.

At Fletchers Solicitors, we have seen first-hand the devastating effects that delayed or missed diagnoses can have on patients and their families. Whether caused by human error or systemic failure, patients deserve to be seen, heard, and treated in a timely and safe manner.

For those people affected as a result of the issues at Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust leading to a delays in diagnosis or treatment which has caused harm, our specialist medical negligence team can offer advice and support on the next steps.