NSW:Inquiry into NSW ambulance computer glitch

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2011
NSW:Inquiry into NSW ambulance computer glitch

By Miles Godfrey and Isabel Hayes

SYDNEY, Feb 13 AAP - The NSW government says it will launch an inquiry into a glitch
that has shut down the state's paramedics' computer system.

The Ambulance of NSW's computer dispatch system was infected by a virus at about 1pm
(AEDT) on Saturday, forcing staff to shut it down.

As a result, health officials have had to revert to coordinating the state's paramedics
and ambulances via a manual paper-based system.

The NSW opposition on Sunday called on the government to explain why there was no back-up
system in place for paramedics.

Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said lives were being put at risk by the glitch.

The system failure meant paramedics were resorting to handwritten notes and mobile
phone calls to respond to emergencies, she said.

"There's been a complete failure of the computer aided dispatch system that allows
ambulances to respond, sometimes to critically ill patients," Ms Skinner told reporters
in Sydney.

"This could potentially cost lives."

Ms Skinner called on the government to explain what back-up systems were in place to
support paramedics.

"The health minister Carmel Tebbutt needs to explain exactly what went wrong, why there
wasn't a back-up system and how many patients were affected."

Ms Tebbutt said she had been advised that no lives were at risk. because of the computer failure.

"Of course we will launch an inquiry once the system is back up and running," Ms Tebbutt
told Channel Seven.

However, it is unclear when the system will be back online, with paramedics saying
it could take some time.

The computer system would not operate again until technicians were sure the virus has
been fully removed, Ambulance of NSW general manager of operations Mike Willis said.

Despite this, Mr Willis said he was unaware of any delays to triple-zero calls or any
"adverse patient outcomes".

"It's important to note that at no time during that shutdown procedure were any triple-zero
calls or in fact the integrity of our operation breached," he told reporters in Sydney.

"We're still taking calls and dispatching ambulances, albeit using manual operations."

The system used by the service has been in place for 10 years and had never previously
been breached by a virus, Mr Willis added.

AAP ih/msk

KEYWORD: AMBULANCE NSW WRAP

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