Airedale Hospital is to spend £218,000 updating its out-of-date computer system.

The project is part of a £400,000 package of improvements for the next three years.

The move has been sanctioned by health chiefs to redress a lack of investment that has left the hospital, in Steeton near Keighley, struggling with an old-fashioned system.

Staff say they are finding it increasingly difficult to download information from the Government.

Director of finance Janet Crouch said: "The system is creaking at the seams and the e-mail system is completely blocked up. It's reached the stage where we can't log on to the Internet or intranet.

"We also have a situation across the trust where some secretaries are working on modern machines whilst others are using older PCs with out-of-date software.

"This has implications for training, maintenance and support. We need to totally upgrade the network.

"These are fairly modest aspirations at the moment and I really do think we can't wait any longer."

Director of nursing and quality Sue Franks added a modern system was essential as documents from the NHS were now being posted on the Internet rather than coming through the mail.

The improvements are being funded through the trust's capital investment plan.

The largest portion of £100,000 will go towards replacing and upgrading PCs and software programmes in offices throughout the hospital.

Another £78,000 will be spent on replacing IT equipment in the outpatient's department with £30,000 to upgrade the equipment supporting the data network, which in some cases is ten years old.

A further £10,000 will pay for an upgrade to the hospital's servers.

Members of the trust board have also agreed to spend £70,000 on the Sterile Service Department (SSD) which provides a sterilising service to the whole trust and has a key role in disinfecting and sterilising theatre equipment and supplies.

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