The much-publicised National Health Service Programme
for IT,otherwise known as NpfIT, is the
Government’s £12.4bnNHS IT transformation
programme.
Rarely out of the headlines,
the NHS National Programme for IT has been beset with an array of
problems, raising
passions on all sides.
Issues faced by NPfIT include
key elements of the programme being years late;
escalating costs;
suppliers running into difficulties; and, in some cases,
a lack of support by doctors and health professionals.
When it was launched in June 2000, the government recognised the
need for a
comprehensive update of NHS IT systems.
The NHS National Programme for IT therefore focused on four
projects,
although others were delivered along the way.
These were an
electronic system to book hospital appointments (Choose and
Book), a set of reliable,
national electronic health records, a new broadband
infrastructure, and e-prescriptions.
BT successfully delivered the broadband infrastructure, though
critics attacked the cost. Choose and Book is working, but many
GPs refuse to use it. E-prescriptions have been delayed, but
may prove useful in time.
However, the main bugbear is the national electronic health
record:
the main purpose of NPfIT. This looks to be years away, with
many experts now questioning whether it is needed, as regional
records seem adequate in many cases.
One of the features of the
National Programme for IT has been the vocal nature of proponents
and critics of the scheme, who include politicians, medical
experts and academics.
A key figure is the charismatic
director general of NHS IT, Richard Granger, who is recognised
as having held the whole programme together with a firm grip on the
finances.
He left as chief executive of Connecting for Health in June
2007, leaving the future of NPfIT in question.
National Health Service Programme for IT – NpfIT news
stories/features
Report exposes stark reality of NHS IT
National Health Service Programme
for IT – NpfIT on the rest of web
National Health Service Programme
for IT – NpfIT blogs
National Health Service Programme
for IT – NpfIT images
National Health Service Programme
for IT – NpfIT video
Catch up on the recent history of
the NPfIT with these Computer Weekly stories.
2008:
2007:
2006:
2005:
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