NHS Confed survey says planning for NPfIT underway

The survey of NHS hospital trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in the England found that three-quarters of NHS organisations have conducted or have plans to conduct an assessment of organisational readiness for electronic booking and the NHS Care Records Service. 

In addition three quarters of those surveyed said they had started or plan to start a clinical engagement programme. In total some 573 NHS organisations in England were emailed the questionnaire and 158 replied – a response rate of 28 per cent.

The survey also found that nine out of ten respondents had structures in place to co-ordinate implementation across the local health economy.

Gary Fereday, Policy Manager at the NHS Confederation, said of the survey results: "The findings show that NHS management is taking seriously concerns that the National Programme for IT isn’t just about the kit, but about how that kit is used."

Fereday continued: "Clinical engagement with the programme is essential for ensuring that patients receive improved care pathways in the future. The fact that NHS organisations are putting clinical staff at the centre of their planning means that the NHS will be able to deliver world class healthcare that is fully responsive to the needs of patients."

However, he also noted that NPfIT still presents a major challenge to the NHS, with one in ten organisations still having no plans to assess their organisation’s readiness to implement the IT programme, and over 20 per cent yet to agree how they will engage clinicians in the roll-out.