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   'Golden opportunity' for rethink on NHS computers missed, says MP  

MP says records system may put patients at risk
Many of the incidents involve
the failure of the Picture Archiving
and Communication System (PACS)

RICHARD BACON MP, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, has said a 'golden opportunity' for the Government to rethink its controversial NHS computer upgrade has been missed.

Mr Bacon called for the rethink after IT firm Accenture last week withdrew from the £12.4 billion programme.  However, NHS Connecting for Health moved quickly to  hand Accenture's contracts for the North East and Eastern regions to the American software firm Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). 

Accenture had been working on a wider variety of healthcare computer systems than any other contractor under the scheme.  The firm had earlier published a joint review with CSC, stating that the largest software supplier to the NHS computer programme, iSoft, has ‘no believable plans’ for future releases of its key product, Lorenzo.

Mr Bacon said: “This just replaces one regional contractor with another which has less experience”.

“However, the main problem is not with the regional contractors but with the product they are being asked to implement, iSOFT’s Lorenzo system, which still does not work properly”.

Mr Bacon added: “By passing the baton to CSC with indecent haste, the government has missed a golden opportunity to think again and to give more control to hospitals locally. I feel very sorry for hospitals who will have to put up with more delays and with systems that just don't work properly”.

1 October 2006

See also:
 PARLIAMENT: NHS computers cause 110 major incidents
PARLIAMENT: MP receives admission of £82m paid to iSoft
PARLIAMENT: MPs prescribe antidote for NHS computer crash
PARLIAMENT: NHS computer chaos deepens
PARLIAMENT: MP says Blair's NHS computer dream "won't work"
 PARLIAMENT: MP concerned over spiralling NHS IT costs
PARLIAMENT: MP asks Health Secretary to block IT contract
PARLIAMENT: NHS 'fined' millions by computer companies
SPEECHES: The National Programme for IT in the NHS
SPEECHES: IT in the NHS - 29 June 2004
SPEECHES: IT in the NHS - 12 February 2004
PARLIAMENT: MP says NHS overspend on IT may hurt patients
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© Richard Bacon 2008