NHS Direct to operate from a single
database
NHS Direct has consolidated all its five million patient records
into a single database and upgraded its call centres across the UK
to create a “virtual contact centre”. The move is designed to make
sure patient enquiries can be easily handled, regardless of their
origin. By using a system from Clinical Solutions, nurses and
health advisors can quickly prioritise calls, access the relevant
records and provide accurate health advice.
Home Office confirms ID card scheme
revision
The government has confirmed that it intends to reduce the risks of
the £5.4bn ID card programme by rolling it out in stages rather
than taking a big bang approach. Home Office minister Joan Ryan
said the project would be developed in a way that is effective and
makes best use of resources.
www.computerweekly.com/idcards
HP takes top spot in worldwide PC
shipments
Hewlett-Packard has overtaken Dell as the world’s number one in PC
shipments, according to analyst Gartner. Gartner said HP had pipped
Dell to the number one
slot for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2003. For
the
third quarter of 2006, HP shipped 110,000 more units than Dell.
EU project to assess quality of open
source
A consortium consisting of leading European open source projects,
consultants and research bodies has secured EU funding to measure
the quality of open source software. The project aims to address
one of the perceived barriers to the adoption of open source
software – proof that free software that has its source code
published can outperform more expensive, brand-marketed
software.
Microsoft delays XP upgrade to early
2008
Microsoft has pushed back the introduction of
Windows XP Service Pack 3 to the first half of 2008. The next big
upgrade to Windows XP had been expected in the second half of next
year, but delays in the introduction of Windows Vista are believed
to have had an impact on the Windows XP upgrade.
www.microsoft.com
Salaries for CIOs soar by 20% in the past
year
Salaries for chief information officers have increased by almost
20% since 2005. The latest survey of 5,000 CIOs by global
recruitment firm Harvey Nash has reported that the average salary
is £104,000.
www.harveynash.com/uk
NHS provider iSoft puts itself on the
market
Troubled NHS software provider iSoft is up for sale as it struggles
to deliver a working records system to the NHS. The company
confirmed it was up for sale last week, saying there may be an
outright purchase of the firm or the possibility of a "strategic
alliance". A number of interested parties are said to be in
discussions with iSoft.
www.isoftplc.com
Birmingham Council to roll out SAP in back
office
Birmingham City Council will implement SAP throughout its
back-office in the biggest software deal in local government. The
council's legacy systems will be replaced with SAP next year after
a five-month planning phase. SAP will be the platform for
Birmingham's programme to save £1bn over 10 years.
www.birmingham.gov.uk
Hospitality firm signs deal with
Europacom
TCG Acquisitions, which owns Henry's Café Bar, Bar 38 and Squares,
has cut the cost of running its telecoms infrastructure by signing
a deal with communications services firm Europacom to manage the
service. The hospitality and pub firm, which runs 178 outlets, had
encountered service level problems because of a lack of records and
information relating to the communications infrastructure in each
site.
www.europacom.net