‘Battle not over’ for IT system choice

Despite the signing of contracts for the GP Systems of Choice initiative, the battle to win IT system choice for GP practices is not over, according to one leading campaigner.

Dr Manpreet Pujara, outgoing chairman of the EMIS National User Group and a GP in Rochester, Kent, is to write to all EMIS NUG practices in the next few days to update them on GPSoC.

He told EHI Primary Care: “Although the GPSoC contracts have been signed the battle is not won. We haven’t won the hearts and minds of PCT staff who still think this single system thing works.”

Dr Pujara told GPs and practice staff at last week’s EMIS NUG annual conference that practices still need to be ready to challenge PCTs and exercise their right to system choice.

He added: “Nobody has shown yet that a single system works, there are a lot of problems with Cerner in the south, iSOFT hasn’t delivered many secondary care systems and yet people are still trying to go for a single system.”

At the conference, Dr Pujara said the NUG should congratulate themselves for the delivery of GPSoC, that he said would not have happened without the campaign for choice from the user group which began three years ago.

Dr Pujara’s letter will also inform practices about his decision to stand down as chairman of the NUG.

He told EHI Primary Care: “Three years ago I set myself a challenge of trying to turn this tanker around on system choice and I have got a little bit of satisfaction from the signing of the GPSoC contracts. I felt it was the right time for a new face at the top but it wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t because I had any new job to go to, although I am looking for new challenges to promote the cause of GP IT.”

The new chairman of the NUG is to be Dr Charlie Stuart-Buttle, a GP in Kent. Dr Pujara is to remain on the NUG committee.

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