Joint GP IT Committee

Wider context from the report

“(2) The inquest heard expert evidence that the combined vaccination monitoring and recall specification designed to identify vulnerable people for the purposes of inviting them to receive their Covid vaccinations early had identified Alex as vulnerable from an incorrect BMI of 68.97 recorded in his GP records on 06/02/2004. The mistake was due to the relevant clinician recording Alex's height as 145cm and his weight as 145kg, giving a BMI of 68.97 for an 11 year old boy whose previously recorded BMI aged 9 had been 14.88. (3) The inquest heard expert evidence that to have built a system that would validate multiple data items in an individual's GP records for the purposes of ensuring that individuals were not incorrectly identified as vulnerable would not have been feasible within the constraints and context of the Covid-19 programme. (4) The inquest heard expert evidence that an easier and more appropriate option would be to embed validation rules in general practice IT systems that would check such information at the time of data entry. (5) If the obviously erroneous BMI had not been recorded or had been challenged at the point of entry by the relevant IT system, Alex would not have been classed as vulnerable, would not have been offered a vaccine before guidance was published that the under 30’s should not receive the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine, and would not have died when he did. (6) The consequences of the data input error in this case give rise to a concern that more might be done by way of specification design to allow for the correction of or challenge to potential data input errors at the point of entry, with consequential improvements in the reliability of such data and the safety of patients and reducing the risk of other deaths occurring in similar circumstances in the future. ”