Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA's Consultants Committee, said the value of electronic patient records had been established, but that the National Programme for IT in the NHS [NPfIT] was taking too long to deliver them. "At what stage do we cut loose from this spiralling disaster?" he asked.
E-Health Insider reports Fielden as saying that the NPfIT is "thwarting local chances to move forward; the worst case of planning blight across the NHS. Let's free hospitals to move forward. Keep the 'national electronic super-highway' but free trusts to go their own way. It will be faster; it will deliver for patients, meet the needs of clinicians and produce another massive saving."
Far from scrapping the NPfIT, officials at NHS Connecting for Health and the Department of Health have paid BT an extra £500m to remain in the national programme. Research analyst Tola Sargeant at Ovum says that BT had the NHS "somewhat over a barrel".
It's an astonishing amount of money to pay BT. It's as if the government has ascribed to the NPfIT the status of a mini-bank which is in need of State aid to keep afloat.
BMA leader calls for NPfIT to be scrapped - E-Health Insider
Comments (4)
from the conference agenda
http://www.bma.org.uk/images/consultantsconference2009agenda_tcm41-185731.pdf
104 Motion BY WEST MIDLANDS RCSC That this conference believes that the concept of a secure and confidential national Electronic Patient Record is an expensive and unachievable fantasy, and the ongoing attempts to achieve it should be abandoned forthwith.
Posted by Neil Bhatia | June 3, 2009 7:04 PM
Posted on June 3, 2009 19:04
Cool!
Posted by Anton | June 4, 2009 1:06 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 01:06
It is frustrating to say the least, particularly when you consider the "pre qualification" tender process for these kinds of projects are onerous and frankly restrictive. I for one have little faith in the competence of the senior management (do they really understand IT projects?). Reading between the lines it feels like "big bang","we can do anything" with little invested in securing the "buy in" from the people (the champions) who ultimately have to use the system. As a tax payer I would like accountability and our money back.
Posted by Christopher Riordan | June 4, 2009 10:47 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 10:47
Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA's Consultants Committee, said the value of electronic patient records had been established
But what about literature as at the end of the post here?
http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/03/reader-on-why-we-have-busywork.html
Posted by HIT skeptic | June 9, 2009 3:25 AM
Posted on June 9, 2009 03:25