TheMinistry of Defencehas begun rolling
out an £80m IT system to improve medical care for armed
forces.
The MoD has chosen
LogicaCMG to implement the Defence Medical Information
Capability Programme (DMICP) by allowing military medical records
to be accessed across the UK, overseas and on the battlefield.
"Health professionals will now benefit from access to one
central database, providing the most up-to-date information on
patients, whether they are in Birmingham or Basra," said Derek
Twigg, the under secretary of state for defence.
The first large military medical centre to implement the system
is the Colchester Medical Reception Station. The system is
scheduled to be rolled out to all UK Army medical facilities, RAF,
Royal Navy, Defence Dental Services and permanent overseas bases by
August 2008.
After 2008, the system will be available in field hospitals, on
board ships and on the battlefield using portable devices. This
will provide instant access to casualties' medical records to speed
up and improve diagnosis and treatment. Military medical records
are currently held on non-networked computers or on paper.
"The ability to access patient records anywhere, anytime, is an
invaluable asset and the assurance of a single record for each
patient will give medical staff greater confidence," said
lieutenant general Robert Baxter, deputy chief of defence staff
(health).
From 2010, the system will be connected to NHS information
systems to simplify and improve access to treatment for service
personnel in NHS hospitals. The NHS records of new recruits will
also be imported directly into the military system.
The new DMICP system is a key component of the Defence Health
Change Programme for improving forces healthcare.
The MoD recently announced the introduction of an
Incident Recording Information System (Iris), also from
LogicaCMG, to enable improvements in health and safety across all
300,000 MoD personnel through better information collection and
analysis.
MoD improves health & safety reporting with £5m system
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