NHS IT project aims for 120 major installs by April

Connecting for Health has published details of the main systems deployed by its three local service providers since June, outlining what has been delivered against what had been promised and plans for the next six months.

As E-Health Insider exclusively revealed on Monday only four big and complex acute hospital PAS implementations had been delivered by the end of October, intended to provide a building block to electronic patient records.

The remaining 18 implementations promised had been delayed, with a number of trusts saying that the software did not meet their requirements.

The CfH update does however make clear that since June quite a few NHS trusts have received systems including: picture archiving and communication systems, or hospital departmental systems such as theatre or A&E, and a number of community systems have been delivered – though these are rather confusingly also referred to as PAS systems.

CfH stressed that collectively that each of the new IT systems that have gone live represent a huge effort by NHS staff and suppliers. The DH agency said of delayed installations: “Those that have been deferred reflect the need to maintain momentum and progress against the need to ensure that installations are safe, functional and meet the local NHS trust’s acceptability criteria.”

Changes in deployment dates were said to have happened for a number of reasons “…that can be supplier of NHS driven or a combination of both”. The agency claimed that where deployments have not taken place “these have been re-scheduled by agreement between the NHS trust and the supplier”.

On 23 June, in response to questions from Common Public Accounts Committee member Richard Bacon, CfH provided schedules stating that 22 acute patient administration systems would be delivered by the end of October.

Bacon has since written twice to Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt requesting details of progress against the schedules provided. His latest letter was sent last week.

In total between 23 June and 31 October 2006 CfH says 56 major local systems were implemented across the NHS. The agency then goes on to state that some 414,570 NHS staff are now using national and local systems – a figure that is filled out by NHS staff who have been registered for NHS Mail.

Undeterred by the variability of its June forecast has proved CfH says that by the end of April 2007 “over 120 major local systems are forecast to be deployed across England”.

The agency also says that by April 2007 it will deliver upgrades to national systems including: Choose and Book, a new release of the Secondary Uses Service to meet the requirements of Payment by Results and an upgrade of the NHS Mail service and Release 2 of the Electronic Prescription Service.

Details of LSP Implementation schedules