The NHS is poised to roll out software first launched in
2000, instead of the latest technology, according to an independent
analyst group.
Mike Davis, senior research analyst at Butler Group, said that
iSoft, a software supplier of hospital systems in three of the five
NHS clusters nationally, will be implementing systems developed six
years ago.
Davis said the current offering for UK hospitals through local
service providers to the £6.2bn national programme for IT is
i.Patient Manager, formerly called PiMS.
Although it is a tried-and-tested product, he said there had
been many complaints from NHS Trusts that the current functionality
is too generic.
“In fact, a long-term user of PiMS is reported as stating ‘it
[PiMS] is only now at the standard we were told it would be in
2000’.”
In January, iSoft said its revenue would be £55m below
expectations because of delays to the NHS programme.
The programme, run by NHS agency Connecting for Health, is the
largest civil IT programme in the world and aims to deliver 50
million electronic health records for citizens across England.