NHS Trust IT blunder overwrites 11 years of maternity records

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust accidentally erased 11 years of maternity records after failing to adjust a setting in pre-written computer instructions. The incident occurred on August 18 when staff copied a radiotherapy database and mistakenly used the same pre-written instructions, which were previously applied to another hospital system.

These instructions overlooked a crucial setting, causing the wrong database to be overwritten with information from September 2011 to November 2022. Nottingham University Hospitals identified the error within minutes and swiftly began efforts to recover the affected clinical data, including patient notes, observations, and test results.

Fortunately, the Trust was able to restore the necessary information for patient care, and current maternity services remain unaffected. However, restoring the audit history, which documented who accessed maternity records during the affected period, has proven challenging. The Information Commissioner's Office and Nottinghamshire Police have been notified about the incident, which may impact Operation Perth, their investigation into maternal and infant deaths and serious injuries at Nottingham City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre.

NUH has strengthened its technical controls and processes to prevent similar occurrences in the future and has apologized to affected women and families for any inconvenience caused.