<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>335264</docID> <postdate>2024-12-13 15:22:40</postdate> <headline>Health ‘ineffective’ at managing $110m contract</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-326290" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/0705_Canberra_Hospital_2153_credit-Tom-Roe-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></p> <caption>Canberra Hospital. Photo: Tom Roe</caption> <p><strong>In a report the Opposition Leader has described as "shocking", Auditor-General Michael Harris has exposed a $110 million technology misadventure by ACT Health.</strong></p> <p>In a damning report on invoicing and payments for Digital Health Record Hosting Services, Harris has says the initial price for the services was $66 million, which has since increased to $110 million.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On December 23 2020 ACT Health entered into a deed with NTT Australia Pty Ltd for the purpose of providing the necessary environments for the Digital Health Record system to operate. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The audit found that ACT Health’s processes for the management of invoicing and payments for services were ineffective. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"ACT Health had poor processes to provide assurance that services for which NTT Australia has invoiced for have actually been provided and delivered to the relevant service standards," says Harris.</span></p> <p>“Today’s report is genuinely shocking,†says Liberal leader Leanne Castley. “The community has a right to be outraged at the complete mismanagement of a $110 million contract. It is time for the minister to be transparent and accountable for what has happened on her watch.</p> <p>“There is simply no excuse for the failings identified in this report. The auditor-general found cases where purchase orders were raised years after ACT Health paid the invoices. In other cases, the invoices lacked sufficient detail to know what service was provided.â€</p> <p>Mr Harris reported that: <span style="font-weight: 400;">"In January this year ACT Health implemented additional administrative processes and controls, which ACT Health expects to mitigate the control deficiencies identified throughout this report. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the headache for ACT Health isn't over, with Harris saying: "The Audit Office expects to conduct further performance audit activity in relation to the Digital Health Record during 2024-25." </span></p> <p>Ms Castley recently reaffirmed calls for a royal commission into the ACT health system.</p> </body>