Recurring concern

Unreliable operation and access of the BadgerNet clinical information system

First to latest report 15 Sep 2023 — 9 Nov 2023

Reports that mention this concern
2
Times this concern has been raised
3
Stated actions linked to this concern
2

What this concern includes

Includes failures in the named BadgerNet system and its directly integrated clinical workflows, including portal and chart availability, system implementation, access, display or configuration of clinical risk assessments, mapping of required guidance, and related controls needed to make safety-critical information and decision support available to authorised clinical staff.

What is not included
  • Excludes generic electronic patient-record, IT access or information-sharing failures where BadgerNet is not explicitly the deficient system.
  • Excludes failures in clinical assessment, treatment or escalation after the relevant BadgerNet information or function was reliably available and suitable.
  • Excludes generic staffing, training, documentation or governance deficiencies unless they directly impair operation or access to BadgerNet.
  • Excludes unrelated clinical information systems, including EMIS, NOMIS, STORM, Lorenzo and other named systems, unless the assertion explicitly concerns BadgerNet integration.

Reports and published responses 2 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. County Durham and Darlington

    AI-generated summary

    Alfie Neil MAINS-FORSTER · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Alfie was born on 13 June 2022 and died in cardiac arrest at 01.50 on 14 June 2022 after intensive treatment. The postmortem cause of death was severe congenital pneumonia and meningitis, with suspected acute chorioamnionitis. The report identifies that antibiotics were not administered after concerning observations at 03.55, and raises concerns that electronic risk assessment did not fully map national guidance and that the NEWTT2 chart was not available on BadgerNet.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure of the BadgerNet NEWS risk assessment to fully map national guidance

    Wider context from the report

    “A) In the badgernet electronic system used at the Royal Victoria Infirmary by the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the current risk assessment (NEWS) does not map the national guidance fully and if would be more user-friendly, and thereby assist towards more effective, and therefore safer, risk assessment for it to map the national guidance completely. ”

    Source location

    Alfie Neil MAINS-FORSTER · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Unavailability of the NEWTT2 chart on BadgerNet

    Wider context from the report

    “B) The current NEWTT2 chart is not yet available and it would assist in the more effective management of risk for it to be on BadgerNet. This was supposed to be implemented in July 2023 but as yet it has not. ”

    Source location

    Alfie Neil MAINS-FORSTER · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Implement Maternity functionality providing the Newborn Early Warning Score aligned with New Zealand national guidance.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “The customer agreed a deployment plan of Maternity for Go Live in January 2023 and Neonatal EPR for the 14th of November 2023.”

    Source location

    Response from System Connecting Care
    Page 4 · response
    Published 22 November 2023

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Plan implementation of NEWTT2 in Neonatal EPR and Maternity for customer delivery after NHS England finalises its release.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “NEWTT2³ is planned to be introduced into Neonatal EPR and Maternity once the factors affecting deployment have been addressed. It should be noted that NEWTT2 was not fully agreed by NHS England until June 2023 and a digital specification will be made available by NHS England by Autumn 2024.”

    Source location

    Response from System Connecting Care
    Page 4 · response
    Published 22 November 2023

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    The Clinical Summary application did not contain NEWS, NEWTT or related functionality, so the referenced NEWTT chart was not generated by Badgernet.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “The investigation found that on the 13th of June 2022, the customer site referenced in the report was utilising the Clinical Summary application for neonatal department only. The patient was not admitted into Neonatal and therefore was never added to the Clinical Summary.”

    Source location

    Response from System Connecting Care
    Page 4 · response
    Published 22 November 2023

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    The Trust would need to investigate which solution generated the referenced NEWTT chart.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “The customer would not have been able to record National Early Warning Score (NEWS) or Newborn Early Warning Trigger & Track (NEWTT)² records within the Clinical Summary application as this was not part of the application, and therefore had to use another system or forms provided directly from the NHS as advised under the Newborn Early Warning Trigger & Track (NEWTT) – a Framework for practice (2015)².”

    Source location

    Response from System Connecting Care
    Page 9 · response
    Published 22 November 2023

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    NEWTT2 implementation is deferred until NHS England finalises the guidance and releases its digital specification.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “NEWTT2³ is planned to be introduced into Neonatal EPR and Maternity once the factors affecting deployment have been addressed. It should be noted that NEWTT2 was not fully agreed by NHS England until June 2023 and a digital specification will be made available by NHS England by Autumn 2024.”

    Source location

    Response from System Connecting Care
    Page 4 · response
    Published 22 November 2023

    Open published response

  2. Warwickshire

    AI-generated summary

    Eclipse Morrison · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Eclipse Morrison died at Nottingham City Hospital on 21 July 2021, the day after her birth, following perinatal asphyxia and complications associated with gestational diabetes, excessive fetal growth and shoulder dystocia. The principal concerns included failures to follow up missed appointments, consider and discuss appropriate timing and mode of delivery, identify risk factors during labour, and ensure adequate fetal monitoring. Further concerns related to the implementation and quality assurance of Badgernet, escalation procedures for ultrasound concerns, counselling about shoulder dystocia, and interpretation of Montgomery guidance.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Unavailability of full Badgernet portal access

    Wider context from the report

    “2. Access to Badgernet portal / full implementation of the Badgernet software It seems that the Badgernet system is being relied on to address a number of issues which were identified in this case, and heavy reliance is being placed on a system which is not yet fully implemented. The concern remains that a critical aspect of this system, access to the portal, will not be in place until autumn 2023 at the earliest. ”

    Source location

    Eclipse Morrison · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 3 · concerns

    Open source report

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026