David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, has written to about 80 people who attended a one-day seminar on 26 January 2007 on the future of the £12.4bn National Programme for IT.
The seminar was entitled "facing rthe issues, making progress".
Nicholson writes:
I would like to thank you for devoting a whole day to give me the benefit of your views and opinions on the NHS National Programme for IT, on 26th January. I found the day very useful in helping to shape my thinking about how we take the Programme into its next, critical phase of implementation.As we heard on the day, much has been achieved. Nevertheless, as I made clear in my opening remarks, the NHS needs to own, love, understand and want this programme more than it has to date. Therefore, January 26th was vital in helping me, as the Programme's Senior Responsible Owner, to understand what we must do next.
The National Programme for IT does not work in isolation from the NHS. It is supporting a major change in the way the healthcare is delivered in this country. My job as NHS Chief Executive is to transform the system, and I need the National Programme for IT to help me make this happen.
Within the next few weeks I will be sending you an electronic copy of the report of the day. The report will then be published.
I know there is a real appetite to make the National Programme for IT a success and to develop a much more open dialogue about the best way to do this. I look forward to further opportunities to take this forward over the coming months.
His letter and open approach is welcome. This more open approach may have already begun. A television journalist mentioned that Connecting for Health, which runs the National Programme for IT [NPfIT] in the NHS, had not been at all as defensive and combative as he had expected.
And in the past Connecting for Health has chosen which of our questions to answer, and then sometimes given answers that did not always relate directly to the questions we'd asked.
This week [beginning 19 February 2007] we put a range of questions to Connecting for Health, most of which did not need quick answers. On those questions that did, Connecting for Health still chose which to answer but released more facts and detail than usual.
We don't know if this will continue, but we hope so..
Comments (1)
Tony, we noted your positive comments on Connecting for Health's changing approach to communications. It is something that we intend to maintain and improve upon. If you or other participants on this site want more information we encourage you to contact our press office on 0113 280 5816 or NHSCFH.pressoffice@nhs.net. We cannot promise to answer all your questions but we will do our best as quick, transparnet and helpful as possible.
Claire Cater
Director of External Affairs
Posted by Claire.Cater | February 26, 2007 10:24 PM
Posted on February 26, 2007 22:24