Plans for theNHS's national IT schemeare feasible
- but the main software is running four years behind, and may not
be fully rolled out until 2015, according to a report published
today by theNational Audit
Office.
Angela Hands, one of the authors of the NAO report, told
Computer Weekly that there is a risk the care records service -
which includes plans to give 50 million people in England an
electronic medical record - may not be complete even by 2015.
The original plans discussed at Downing Street in February 2002
were for the National Programme for IT [NPfIT] to run for three
years, until 2006. Later ministers said the aim was to have the
programme completed by 2010.
In today's report the NAO said, "Current indications are that it
is likely to take some four years more than planned - until 2014-15
- before every NHS trust has fully deployed the
Care Records
Service."
But this projection is based on the Lorenzo software supplied by
CSC and its subcontractor
IBA Health being fit
for purpose when it is first delivered this summer. The NAO report
said: "There remains considerable uncertainty over the delivery
schedule for Lorenzo."
The House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee will question
civil servants on the NAO's report next month.
Richard Bacon, a
member of the committee, said,
"The latest National Audit Office report could not be clearer.
The £12.7bn national programme for IT in the National Health
Service is in crisis. The report shows that key systems are late
and show little or no sign of ever being produced in any useful
form.
"While systems that are suitable for central deployment such as
the N3 broadband link and the Picture Archiving Communications
Systems for digital x-rays have made good progress, the serious
problems lie with the really complex systems for acute hospitals
where central control is manifestly not working".
The NAO report praised NHS staff for their hard work and
commitment so far to installing national systems. It said original
timescales for the Care Records Service proved unachievable, raised
expectations and "put confidence in the programme at risk". It
added that the original vision for the programme remains intact and
still appears feasible.
One of the questions raised by the report is whether more trusts
- particularly foundation trusts - will be concerned about the
quality, reliability or functionality of some national systems and
buy core products outside the NPfIT - although the national
programme was set up largely to counteract fragmented buying in the
NHS.
The NAO report said that Whitehall may have to pay fines to
local service providers BT,
Fujitsu and CSC, if
trusts do not buy from them. The contracts with local service
providers are based on their systems being deployed at all NHS
trusts at some point.
"Foundation trusts cannot now be forced to take the [NPfIT]
systems and should any elect not to do so there will be financial
implications for both the trusts concerned and the programme," said
the NAO.
But David Nicholson the NHS's chief executive and senior
responsible owner of the NPfIT, has "directed the Strategic Health
Authorities to ensure that other NHS organisations meet the
expectations of the contracts".
Auditors criticised communications about the programme which
have "tended to date to focus on achievements rather than what
remains to be done".
Opinion: NAO report reveals NPfIT's benefits and flaws
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