The Government must act to ensure the success of NHS Electronic
Patient Record (EPR) systems and overcome delays.
The House of Commons Health Committee has released a
report on the delayed EPR systems, saying they are vital for
the future of healthcare in England.
The systems form a central plank of the Government's £12.4bn
National Programme for IT project.
However, the report says, the delivery of the
NHS Care Records Service (NCRS) has been hampered by "unclear
communication and a worrying lack of progress on implementing local
systems".
Delivery of some parts of the EPR project have been delayed by
up to two years and the Committee calls for a more localised
approach by NHS Connecting for Health- the organisation responsible
for EPR systems - to speed up the implementation of the
programme.
According to the report, arrangements for creating and adding
information to the national Summary Care Record, which will contain
basic health information, have been poorly communicated to patients
and clinicians, and more rigorous evaluation of security for the
new system is required.
The Government must communicate more clearly with patients about
its plans for new EPR programmes and set timetables for completion
of the new systems, said the Committee.
Delays to the delivery of local Detailed Care Record systems,
which will share a wide range of health information between local
providers, are criticised by the Committee. These systems are the
"holy grail" for the EPR programme but according to the report it
is not clear when they will be widely available.
The Committee also expresses concern that outsourcer
iSoft's Lorenzo system, which is to be installed in hospitals
across the North and the Midlands, will not be trialled until at
least 2008, leaving organisations relying on "increasingly outdated
systems" to support patient care.
Such delays have caused local clinicians and managers to lose
confidence in the programme, said the Committee.
The Committee recommends that the Government ensures that
regional Local Service Providers publish clear plans and a
timetable for the completion of Detailed Care Record systems, and
sets a final deadline for the successful installation of the
Lorenzo system.
The report calls for more involvement by local NHS organisations
and clinical groups in the implementation of Detailed Care Record
systems, and more choice for users about what systems they will
receive.
The Committee also points to the need for efforts to develop
national standards for recording clinical information.
Kevin Barron, chairman of the Health Committee, said, "Whilst
the Government is getting the framework in place, it still has some
way to go before patients and the profession can see tangible
benefits of the new system.
"There is no doubt that the use of IT in the NHS has the
potential to make positive improvements in patient care, but this
will only happen if people in the health service, particularly
doctors, play a positive role in its implementation."
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