PRINCESS Alexandra Hospital (PAH) has been introducing its new electronic patient record system (Alex Health) at the weekend.

YH has already run a number of stories on this subject.

They have been telling users that appointments may be cancelled and or rearranged.

We have certainly been contacted by many readers, telling us that is certainly the case.

So we asked Harlow MP Chris Vince if he has sought reassurance from hospital bosses.

Mr Vince said: On Friday 25 October, I met with senior executives at PAH to discuss operational issues as they moved into the winter months. Amongst other areas of focus, one of the issues raised was the transition to their electronic health record system (Alex Health). As part of this transition, I was made aware that PAH would reducing their operational functions to facilitate the transition. This is a necessary step so that staff members were both able to complete the sufficient training to ensure a smooth transfer, whilst further ensuring that the team at PAH were able to operate this transfer in a safe way.

During this meeting, I raised concerns about the cancelled appointments that would stem from this operational capacity reduction, however I was assured and satisfied with the fact any patient who has their appointment cancelled will be prioritised for new appointments in the first instance. Whilst any appointment cancellation is disappointing, it is important to remember that this is a new system that will be for the longer term benefit of all patients. By bringing systems in line with other hospitals at the forefront of tech innovations, patients who use PAH will receive better, more consistent, and ultimately more comprehensive care.

The team at PAH are doing a thankless task, providing incredible care to thousands of patients whilst transitioning to this new system. I thank them for their work and assure constituents that all their efforts are in the service of providing the best service to all patients.

“I would like to take this opportunity to provide my contact details to constituents so that they can get in touch with any issues they are facing, in relation to this or any other problem. I can be contacted on [email protected]”.