Quoting from PSnews online Edition Number 485f. Updated Friday 11 December 2015. http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/485/news/not-so-trim-audit-fears-for-records?utm_source=aps485&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news1&utm_campaign=newsletter_aps
Not so TRIM: Audit fears for records
An audit of records management in the Department of Health has found the Department to have no overarching framework or strategy for its information management responsibilities.
In his report, Records Management in Health, Auditor-General, Grant Hehir said the Department failed to identify any short, medium or long-term goals or had plans in place to meet organisational records management targets.
“The Department of Health’s records management requirements are not consistently applied and the transition to a robust digital information and records management system remains incomplete,” Mr Hehir said.
Health found not up to scratch
He said proper records management was an essential foundation for sound public administration and the audit’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s records management arrangements and progress in transitioning to digital records management.
The audit found that Health provided both online and face-to face training to staff as part of the 2013 TRIM EDRMS roll-out, but it was not possible to determine with confidence how many staff participated.
Also observed by the audit were a number of procedural shortcomings in relation to a recent destruction of Health records, and the documentation supporting the destruction process remained incomplete.
The Auditor-General made four recommendations aimed at strengthening Health’s management of records as well as their disposal, deletion and destruction.
The audit recommended Health develop and implement an overarching information management framework which incorporated an information and records management strategy, against which performance could be measured.
It also called for a Senior Responsible Officer to take accountability for project implementation and the delivery of outcomes.
The Auditor-General’s full report can be accessed at this PS News link and the audit team was Fiona Knight. http://www.anao.gov.au/~/media/Files/Audit%20Reports/2015-2016/10/ANAO_Report_2015-2016_10.pdf
Comments
Very interesting situation, I work with Trim in local govt. in NZ and we have had similar problems , mostly with staff putting incorrect meta data. Another factor is the same functions are given different names over time for example, Parks & Reserves will then be placed under community facilities & if correct meta data is not used new employees will not look beyond existing titles & fail to locate the information.