Whistleblowers at the North East's scandal-hit mental health trust have raised serious concerns about a "faulty" medical record system rolled out this year.  

Patients are being "put in danger" by the new CITO records system at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Trust (TEWV), two staff members have told the Northern Echo. 

An anonymous worker, who is part of the trust's emergency mental health services, said they have had difficulty uploading and accessing next-of-kin information, allergies, triggers, risk ratings, and assessments for patients who are in the throes of a mental health crisis. 

TEWV responded, saying patient safety was their "top priority", and that "the system is stable and functional" despite "localised issues". 

An email, sent out by trust bosses and shared with the Northern Echo by a staff member shows the trust saying that they, and the external tech development company "is committed to working until we have an electronic patient record fit for purpose". 

The staff member, who preferred to remain nameless, said: "This is the Trust apparently admitting to their thousands of staff that their new medical records system is not fit for purpose. The staff know that [the new system] is no good and patients are in danger."

Another staff member, who works within the trust's emergency mental health services, agreed that "the state of things is dismal - and people are in danger."

"Talented staff have left TEWV since the CITO rollout in February, as the system runs the risk of them losing their licenses. 

"When our work relies on records being factual and correct, not having a system fit for that purpose puts us and patients' lives at risk."

Practitioners are having trouble uploading and accessing "essential" patient information, including their allergies, their risks and dangers, previous assessments and their safety summary, as well as issues performing previously automated tasks like sending letters to GPs. 

The whistleblower claimed there was one case where a criminal order for a dangerous patient did not come up on the system - putting staff and other patients in the facility "under serious risk."

They added: "We keep being told that the IT department has got a work around, or a quick fix to problems, but it has been months now. It is just not good enough."

The new CITO electronic patient system has been specifically made for TEWV, replacing PARIS, an "off the shelf" system used for the last few years.

CITO was designed by an external software company in collaboration with the TEWV staff, with the needs of mental health services in mind. 

At an inquest into the death of Darlington man Matthew Gale this spring, a jury found TEWV's neglect was a contributing factor to his suicide. 

The court heard from TEWV staff that systems had been changed to ensure the same mistakes were not repeated - with the custom records system CITO a key player in improvements. 

The emergency services staff member said: "We all used to hate PARIS, but everyone I have spoken to wants PARIS back. 

"If CITO worked reliably, it would be a great system for the trust because it was purpose-built - but the reality is that nothing works. 

"On PARIS, information might have been difficult to find, but at least it was there - CITO is so unreliable that you never know what information should be there."

TEWV, which has been rated as 'requires improvement' by the CQC - covers the majority of the North East, including County Durham, North Yorkshire, and Teesside. 

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A spokesperson at the Trust, said: “The complexity of implementing any large-scale data management system can lead to challenges within any organisation.

"Although we are experiencing some localised issues with Cito, the system is stable and functional. The safety of our patients is our top priority and we are working hard with our suppliers to deliver further improvements as quickly as possible.

“We have robust plans in place to support our colleagues during this time and want to thank them for continuing to deliver safe and kind care every day.”