More than 190 NHS Highland staff have been unable to access health board computer systems for the past five years.
It has emerged that social care staff who were transferred from Highland Council to the NHS during the integration of services in 2012 are still using local authority equipment.
They have “very limited ability” to access to the NHS system.
A total of 190 computers – which are shared between employees – will have to be replaced because of the problem.
NHS Highland has admitted a solution was “long overdue” – while the lack of integration was described as “terribly frustrating” and “very inefficient” by a north MSP.
A report setting out a proposed solution was put before the NHS Highland board yesterday.
Members heard that £250,000 has been allocated to the project, while overall it is expected to cost £420,000.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP David Stewart said it was quite incredible that five years after the move the systems had not been linked up.
He said: “Both NHS Highland and Highland Council have suffered from severe financial cutbacks from the Scottish Government and it appears this problem is down to not having enough money to solve it over the past few years, both in terms of the right network and the right equipment.
“The fact that staff who transferred to work for NHS Highland couldn’t access the health authority’s services directly and seamlessly must have been terribly frustrating for all concerned and must have been very inefficient.”
Liz Gordon, regional officer for the GMB trade union, said the situation had been “an ongoing source of frustration”.
She said: “It is a very visible example of the problems which are being experienced.
“Many of the staff are still working from old council job descriptions which are hopelessly out of date and the IT is part of a parcel of things which need to be sorted out.”
Yesterday, health board IT chief Iain Ross said a plan had now been developed to resolve the problems by the end of March 2018.
He said adult social work staff had always been able to access the “Care First” computer system and NHS e-mail system but that the issues involved a lack of computer compatibility between NHS Highland and council staff.
Mr Ross added that complex solutions were in place from an early stage but were not easy to use and failed to provide seamless access.
“We needed to find a resolution to this and it’s been long overdue for us to do that,” he said.
Mr Ross said that new “Swan” technology – now used by all Scottish public bodies – would fix the problem.
Board chairman David Alston said it was “good news that a solution is in sight”.
Highland Council said it does not comment on NHS Highland reports.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to improving access to services in the community and recognise that familiar technology is an important enabler that can improve access to care, free-up capacity within the system, and empower greater self-management of individual conditions.”
He added that NHS Highland’s funding of £587million had increased by 40% since 2007.
Professor Bill Buchanan
A leading computer science expert has said it should be possible to access both NHS and council services through a single device.
Professor Bill Buchanan, of Edinburgh’s Napier University, said the report prepared by NHS Highland was “confusing” and said its temporary solution of giving staff computers was an “extremely inefficient way to go”.
The report, prepared by NHS Highland’s head of eHealth Iain Ross, said that the roll-out of the
Scottish Wide Area Network (Swan) has allowed them to progress.
NHS Highland has already fully transitioned to the new system – while Highland Council is in the process of migrating onto the network.
Because the council has not fully moved onto the Swan system, the work will be undertaken in phases – meaning there will be a period staff need two computers – one for council work and another for NHS services.
Professor Buchanan said it may be possible to use a virtual private network to allow access from the council network to the NHS one without giving staff two separate devices.
He added: “Overall it seems a very costly exercise which basically just allows staff to get access to services. These days the actually computer or network that is used, shouldn’t limit the access to the resources.
“I am sure it must be possible to setup trusted access from specific computers and devices on the council network into the NHS network, and vice-versa.”
