Richard Bacon MP - Member of Parliament for South Norfolk

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MP wants key questions put to NHS computer scheme

MP says records system may put patients at risk

The National Audit Office has
identified nine key questions that
should be answered before IT
projects can proceed

South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has asked Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt to put to officials running the National Programme for IT in the NHS the nine key questions a new report finds must be asked if public sector IT projects are to be successful.

Mr Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, was speaking as the National Audit Office (NAO) published its report on delivering successful IT.

The report finds there are nine key questions officials should ask before embarking on a major IT overhaul, ranging from whether strong leadership is in place, to making sure that users’ needs are addressed by the new systems.

Mr Bacon said today: “This timely report provides a yardstick against which public sector IT programmes can now be judged. Unfortunately, many of these questions do not appear to have been asked of the NHS computer upgrade programme”.

“For example, the report emphasises the importance of selling the benefits of a new system to its users, but little has been done to win health professionals over to the National Programme. Neither has the government ensured the technology is available to deliver its goals. In fact, a recent study by the government’s own contractors doubted the software the programme depends on could ever be made to work”.

“I have asked Mrs Hewitt to put these questions to the officials running the National Programme and to let me know their answers”.

1 October 2006

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