The
Choose and Book electronic hospital-appointment booking system
is not fit for the purpose and actually limits choice, according to
the
BMA.
At the doctors’ body’s annual conference, members voted that the
Choose and Book system, one of the cornerstones of the £12bn
National Programme for IT, should not replace letters from GPs
to specialists.
Involvement with treatment and greater quality of care was more
important than choosing a location to be treated, said London GP
Terry John. “Patients want to be involved in decisions, treated
with dignity and respect [and] to have their views listened to. We
do this every day in consulting rooms in primary and secondary
care. That is where real choice takes place,” he said.
The conference also agreed Choose and Book was a politically
driven initiative to reduce NHS deficits and to give the illusion
of meeting targets. It should have its impact on referral patterns
investigated by the BMA, the conference said. It voted against a
motion to have the system suspended.
Mark Davies, clinical lead on Choose and book said: "We never
expected 100% of referrals to go through Choose and Book as there
will always be exceptions, such as patients who don't feel
comfortable with electronic referral. Some will be resistant to
change but those numbers will get smaller over time."
To date, more than 3.5 million referrals have been made through
Choose and Book. All Primary Care Trusts and 88% of GP practices
are making bookings and 100% of NHS Acute Trusts are receiving
Choose and Book referrals, said
Connecting for Health, the NHS body which runs the NHS IT
programme.
Meanwhile at the BMA conference, acting chairman
Sam Everington
criticised the National Programme for IT, which aims to develop 50
million electronic health records for patients in England. “What a
sorry state the NHS IT system is in. Estimated costs of upward of
£20bn, interminable delays, the chaotic shambles that is Choose and
Book, growing concerns about patient confidentiality and security –
it’s a wonderful exercise in how not to do things. Little wonder
then that even
Richard Granger has decided it is time he left the IT sinking
ship!”
Although Connecting for Health has admitted the delivery of some
systems has slipped, it maintains the programme will deliver
clinical benefits.
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