Counties Manukau Health writes off millions on IT project

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eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Counties Manukau Health wrote off $8.6 million between 2015–2017 on a ‘transformational change programme’ called Project SWIFT.

Project SWIFT (System Wide Integration for Transformation) defined a four-year roadmap for technology investment by the DHB with the help of IBM.

It focused on improving the performance of core hospital IT systems, enabling access to CM Health systems for community teams on mobile devices, better use of shared care records and enabling enhanced models of care.

The project began in May 2013, but in February 2016 the board decided to end it after a Treasury gateway review indicated ‘amber’ for the next 18 months and ‘amber/red’ beyond that time.

An Official Information Act response to Radio New Zealand says, “the significant factors reducing delivery confidence were the need to reconfigure the broader transformation, executive leadership, accountabilities, programme structure and address lack of clarity on funding”.

CM Health wrote off $3.1 million on Project SWIFT in 2015–2016 and another $5.5 million the following year.

The board has since initiated the Healthy Together 2020 programme, which has seen the implementation of clinical systems including e-Radiology and e-Vitals, and mobile devices being rolled out to different areas of the hospital.

The DHB says when Project SWIFT began, integrated healthcare initiatives were constrained by lack of integration across the health system and there was a general dissatisfaction with the organisation’s IT services.

“Our workforce was becoming increasingly frustrated with poor performing technology systems, frequent outages and little to no response to innovation requests,” the OIA response says.

CM Health says the work done by Project SWIFT helped the organisation to “identify how IT systems can more effectively support healthcare delivery, by assisting and improving the way health practitioners and care providers deliver services to patients and communities”.

The DHB is now working with the regional shared-services agency healthAlliance to “modernise the technical architecture necessary for future transformation”.

“The programme focuses on tools to facilitate clinical triage, proactive care and improved coordination and evolve community services to operate more efficiently and effectively,” it says. 

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