Conservatives call for NHS IT review

Andrew Lansley, Shadow Secretary of State for Health, has announced that a future Conservative government would commission an urgent review of the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

The Conservatives say that the timetable for the national programme has already slipped and "fear that it may become the latest in a long list of government computer disasters".

According to the party, the review has been prompted by the mounting concerns of experts over the capacity of NPfIT to deliver, the failure of ministers to address the concerns raised by the Conservative front bench on the protection of sensitive data and the need for NPfIT to accommodate Conservative reforms.

Lansley said: "We cannot ignore the stream of representations made to us about the direction in which NPfIT is heading."

He added that his request to see NPfIT Director Richard Granger and discuss concerns about the programme he is running was turned down by Secretary of State for Health John Reid.

The Shadow Secretary of State added: "There are serious concerns about patient confidentiality and the government’s refusal to allow me access to officials to discuss this massive public sector programme suggests it has a great deal to hide. Therefore, we have no choice but to plan for a full independent inquiry."

Responding to the call for a review a national programme spokesperson told EHI: "The national programme and its component projects have been subject to considerable formal scrutiny by the Office of Government Commerce, internal audit teams from the Department of Health and is currently being studied by the National Audit Office, which reports to Parliament."

According to the Conservatives. the independent review would determine what changes to NPfIT might be needed to best achieve the potential benefits of IT in the NHS, and to get the best value for patients and doctors

Key objectives for the review would include increasing choice for users and health care providers, and competition for systems suppliers, together with reducing the cost of the programme.

In addition, the review would examine how end user involvement in the programme could be extended and address concerns around issues of security and confidentiality.