NAO report will criticise CfH’s failure to win NHS support

The head of the National Audit Office has confirmed that the public watchdog’s long awaited report into the £6.2 billion NHS National Programme for IT will be critical of the programme’s failure to secure the support of the eventual end users.

According to a transcript of a Public Accounts Committee from last month, John Bourn, comptroller of the NAO, told MPs that one of the themes in the report will be "the failure to take the people in the National Health Service with the system."

Responding to questions from Richard Bacon, Conservative MP for South Norfolk and head of the PAC, Sir John said that there are two main points to the delayed report: “One in relation to technical expertise, the design of the system and the contracting for it.

"The other one has to do with all the things that you say, which is the failure to take the people in the National Health Service with the system. I have been very keen to make it absolutely clear that in the report that I produce it will make clear the failure to take the people in the National Health Service with them.”

The NAO comptroller added: "All the things that you say, the idea of having it wished on them, the idea of having to pay for something they do not want, are there. I think in some way it has become a focus of dissension in the National Health Service on the part of GPs and consultants and so on."

He said that although a lot of the dissent is focused around IT, "it does not take away the fact that it has not won the hearts and minds of those who are being required to use it and we shall say that as well as describing what the department is doing about it".

Privately the NAO has indicated that CfH has proved "difficult" and disputed the factual content of the report, which by convention must be signed off by the respective Government department before publication.

Sir John said that the report was now expected to be published early this summer.  The report had originally been due in late summer 2005. 

A spokesperson for Connecting for Health said in a statement: "We have worked co-operatively with the NAO and its officials as they develop their draft. It is a matter for the NAO when the report is published."