Want to make a GP laugh? Ask them about Connecting for Health, the NHS national programme for IT.
Dr Rosemary Leonard, the GP often invited to comment on health matters on the BBC Breakfast programme, was highly amused earlier this week when the matter arose. The presenter said she thought that healthcare professionals could key in a patient’s NHS number and then see what medication they were on.
Dr Rosemary laughed and replied “In your dreams!”
The programme, which has the aim of introducing electronic patient records at its heart, has been dragging on for years – at your and my expense. And in an attempt to justify the programme there is even a ‘myth busters’ section on the Connecting for Health website.
Among other things this tells us that a National Audit Office report has confirmed that ‘the National Programme for IT in the NHS is much needed, well managed and on budget.’
That’s OK then. But wait a minute – that report was published in June 2006!
The cost of the programme is given as £12.4 billion over 10 years. But was that the cost in 2006, is it the cost now, how many years are we through the programme (at least five, maybe more) and what was the budget in the first place?
What a laugh!
www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk
Visit the Fuse Learning website: http://www.fuselearning.co.uk/
You must log in to post a comment.