Category: IT

Local NHS news comes from local journalists, so let’s not go paperless

Last week, Sam Shead of ZDNet got in touch with EHI Intelligence to ask if we expect to see a paperless NHS by 2018, as Jeremy Hunt pledged in a speech (analysed sharply by my EHI colleague Lyn Whitfield – she quotes one of Hunt’s aides on whether there will be funding to go paperless as saying: “Oh God. Do you mean central money? No, not a thing”). Mr Shead quoted me as follows:

“The English NHS will not be paperless by 2018,” senior analyst at EHI Intelligence, SA Mathieson, told ZDNet. “It is made up of several hundred organisations with greatly differing IT capabilities, as well as thousands of independent GPs.” Continue reading “Local NHS news comes from local journalists, so let’s not go paperless”

GPSoC-R: the doctor might email you now

The NHS National Programme for IT was by no means a complete failure. Parts of it, such as NHSmail, did so well that they are currently being renewed with new contracts, bells and whistles. The same is true of one of the less-known contracts, GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC), which expires this year – and its new version GPSoC-R (which stands for replacement) looks likely to support big changes in the way that patients and GPs communicate. Continue reading “GPSoC-R: the doctor might email you now”

Child Protection Information System could work, but it won’t be easy

Yesterday saw The Times reporting plans for a new Child Protection Information System, which aims to link up and log data on all children’s visits to A&E or an out of hours (OOH) GP with social services’ at-risk registers. (Log-in required, both for the Times story, and hopefully for the new system as well.) The Department of Health confirmed the story, which has also been followed up by the Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, Sun, Independent and EHI (via my NHS news and comment feed @ImpatientNHS). Continue reading “Child Protection Information System could work, but it won’t be easy”

NHSmail2: NHSmail has a future, and it looks quite Google-y

More than half a million NHS staff use NHSmail, the single, secure email system set up under the National Programme for IT in 2004 used in both England and Scotland. It allows health service staff to keep the same nhs.net email address for as long as they work for an organisation providing healthcare services (including companies and social enterprises) which makes a lot of sense given the great majority of people starting a job in the NHS have moved from another health service organisation. It is also used by many NHS trusts and boards which prefer to stick with organisational email addresses. Continue reading “NHSmail2: NHSmail has a future, and it looks quite Google-y”

Further reading: the Cornwall council and NHS outsourcing rebellion

The last fortnight has seen extraordinary events in Cornwall. This Tuesday, council leader Alec Robertson lost a vote of no confidence, primarily over plans to outsource many local council and NHS jobs. Jim Currie, a councillor who opposes the scheme, and who had resigned last week as deputy leader, won the vote to replace him. (Both are Conservatives.) The debate was watched live via the internet by around 4,400 people. Continue reading “Further reading: the Cornwall council and NHS outsourcing rebellion”