Lib Dems to take the axe to the NPfIT

Thursday, February 04, 2010

A Liberal Democrat policy blueprint on the NHS has proposed severe cuts to the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

The policy document, published by the party's shadow health spokesman Norman Lamb, has proposed scrapping the Care Records Service (CRS), reducing the scope of the troubled Choose and Book scheme and shutting down Connecting for Health (CfH) – the organisation overseeing the NPfIT's implementation. Its proposals in general all point towards removing central control over IT systems.

More specifically, the document called for CRS's abandonment as it is four years late, has encountered enormous technical challenges and has raised serious concerns over the confidentiality of patient records.

"Most fundamentally, the clinical and business case has still not been satisfactorily made for establishing a national database," the document said.

Turning its attention to the Choose and Book service, the document said it should be scaled back after the government's late changes caused serious technical difficulties.

"The Choose and Book programme has caused enormous frustration for doctors and patients. It was originally designed as an electronic appointments booking system but was later converted into a central element of the government's commitment to offering patients a choice of hospital – in theory enabling the GP and patient to book an appointment online choosing from a list of hospitals. The introduction of this system fatally lacked clinical engagement and, like the CRS, has been blighted by technical problems," the document said.

Reaffirming its commitment to removing the central control of IT, the document added that CfH must also be scrapped. Remaining responsibilities would then presumably be shared between local trusts and the Department of Health.

"The strategy for the future should be based on local connectivity between primary and secondary health care and social care," the document said.

Citing a recent report, the document highlighted the case for building from the bottom up and engaging with both clinicians and patients.

This approach would make managers and clinicians accountable and engaged in the development of IT, it said, and would encourage small and medium-sized IT companies to contribute.