Senior NHS staff believe that continuing delays to the
£12bn
National Programme for IT are putting
patient safety at risk,
according to a study published on bmj.com
today.
Although interviews with 25 senior managers and clinicians
responsible for implementing the programme in four NHS hospitals in
England show they support IT modernisation, there were concerns
about delays to new systems and patient safety.
However, Connecting for Health, the NHS organisation responsible
for implementing the National Programme for IT, denied patient
safety was being compromised.
During the first round of interviews between September and
December 2004, university researchers found the main concerns were
about financial deficits, delays in replacing patient
administration systems, and poor communication between Connecting
for Health and local managers.
Eighteen months later,
the issue of financial deficits was even more
acute. There was also concern that managers could not focus on
implementing the system because of competing financial
priorities.
Continuing delays in replacing patient administration systems,
and poor communication were also still apparent in the second
interviews. Respondents reported uncertainty about the timetable
for delivery and felt disempowered and frustrated with the lack of
consultation.
The delays were now seen as an unacceptable risk to patient
safety, the researchers found. One respondent said, “Our path
system is extremely out of date… it’s a huge risk to the trust that
we’re still carrying this path system.”
Another warned “there are a number of risks that are associated
with our old system, some very serious risks…”
Respondents also questioned whether NHS-wide connectivity would
ever be achieved.
Finally, there was little support for Choose and Book and none
of the interviewees was optimistic about the ability of Connecting
for Health to deliver the systems.
“The software is not fit for purpose,” said one director of
information management and technology.
The report’s authors said, “The staff we interviewed were
unreservedly in favour of IT modernisation but this support will
quickly diminish unless more progress is achieved.”
The researchers concluded that Connecting for Health needs to
address the uncertainty experienced by trusts and take
responsibility for advising about interim decisions, while trust
managers urgently need concrete information about implementation
timetables, long term goals of the programme, and value for money.
Trusts also need help in prioritising IT modernisation, they
said.
A spokeswoman for Connecting for Health said, "It is untrue to
suggest patient safety is being compromised. NHS Connecting for
Health is giving full priority to trusts with the oldest existing
systems.
“In the past 12 months alone, we have installed 162 systems in
the hospital sector including 15
hospital patient administration systems and
62
picture archiving communications systems
(Pacs), which capture and store images electronically.
"This research reveals some of the challenges and frustrations
of introducing new IT into the hospital sector.”
She said Connecting for Health was working in partnership with
local NHS organisations to overcome these challenges to make best
use of the technologies. The study showed the huge support for
better health informatics in the NHS and the aims of the National
Programme, she said.
NHS National Programme for IT in the spotlight
>>
NHS Trusts ask for costs to cover delays to
NPfIT >>
NHS choose and book figures well short of the
mark >>
Report exposes stark reality of NHS IT
>>
Tony Collins' IT projects blog >>
Against the current: exploring the challenges of complex IT
projects
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