A multi-million pound software package from the Welsh Government has been so frustrating for social workers in Powys it has caused some to quit, a meeting has heard.

Councillors have started discussing whether they can ditch the Welsh Community Care Information System.

It is supposed to allow community nurses, mental health teams, social workers and therapists to share electronic records about patients' treatment.

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Powys joined 15 other local authorities and two health boards in taking on the system in April 2016, at an initial cost of £604,000, with annual costs of £91,000.

But some users have quit the sector because of how difficult it has proved to use, a meeting of the council's cabinet heard on Friday.

Head of digital services, Diane Reynolds said: “The system has continued to have excessive down time and issues of accessibility it remains a high risk for the authority impacting on services to discharge their duties.”

Despite discussions with the provider  Ms Reynolds said that improvements of reliability had not been seen

She added that last year an independent review was commissioned which recommended that Powys look for a replacement system.

County Times: Cllr Rachel Powell.Cllr Rachel Powell.

Head of legal and democratic services, Clive Pinney explained that Bridgend County Borough Council is the main contract holder for the system.

To leave the contract, Powys would have to do it by “fault” and explain what the issues had been as well as what work to try and correct them had been.

Mr Pinney said: “There have been issues for a number of years, and it’s no better than it was two years ago.”

Chairman of the health and care scrutiny committee, Cllr Amanda Jenner had concerns that the council could get into a protracted legal battle to leave the WCCIS contract even if it has a “clear case”.

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Cllr Jenner said: “My advice is to weigh up the potential legal costs and getting a system completely ready by the end of March 2023 to avoid all that.

“There’s only a year left in the contract.”

But Mr Pinney said the contract could be extended for another four years – with Powys part of that unless it “terminates by fault”.

Children’s social services portfolio holder Cllr Rachel Powell said: “We’ve had social workers leave because of it, I’m relieved we’ve got to the stage where we’re looking for a different approach.

“We need to look at all options.”

Adult Social Care Cllr Myfanwy Alexander said: “This is more than just escaping a bad system this is about us creating a good system for the future with our service users at its heart."

Councillors voted unanimously to:

  • Note the requirement for a replacement.
  • To allow digital transformation to find an effective replacement system for WCCIS.
  • And to set aside £1.2million  in 2023/24 for further investigation.