Following the axing of the National Programme for IT and amid renewed criticism that NHS managers are still failing to embrace technology, the Government has announced a package of measures to help bring the health service into the digital age.
The Department of Health (DH) hopes the initiatives will support the NHS as an informed customer for IT, ensuring that local decision-making around procurement delivers value for money for patients and taxpayers.
Together, we are committed to overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of the NHS harnessing leading and innovative information technology
The announcement comes after industry experts again voiced their concern that, following the decision to scrap the national programme, NHS trusts did not have the know-how to go it alone and meet the aims of a joined-up IT infrastructure spreading across the country. And they fear that, despite the successful deployment of systems such as NHSmail, the N3 network and Choose and Book, other vital solutions such as electronic prescribing and radiology reporting will now fall by the wayside.
The DH support is part of a joint initiative with eHealth Insider and will give NHS local commissioners and trusts free access to information on available systems and suppliers, providing detailed insight into all the options and applicable standards, as well as feedback from real users.
Katie Davis, managing director of informatics at the DH, said: “We are committed to providing the NHS with the insight it needs to take the right decision on sourcing systems in the future. By making our own core information on our use of IT available for others to add their own expert insight and value, we have made a major step forward in providing the necessary information, for free, to all NHS customers. Furthermore, we hope this transparency will send a clear signal to the supplier community that the NHS IT market is open for business.”
Great information technology should be a matter of course in the NHS. It shouldn’t be front page news, but the public often sees only the downside. We need to highlight our successes
The reports available through the EHI website will include:
- Details of key clinical and administrative systems used within all trusts and PCTs
- Details of system conformance against NHS standards as published on the Information Standards Board website
- Details of PC, laptop, notebook and smartphone device quantities in use by individual NHS organisations
- A facility to allow users to rate the systems and suppliers they use
Raw data about systems in use in the NHS will also be published on the Connecting for Health website and at the Government data portal.
With the DH we have outlined a new approach to engaging the customer and supply side in a more collaborative and transparent way
In addition, the DH is also working with the Government Procurement Service on a pan-government supplier information database, which will be a useful reference for purchasing executives.
Overseeing these developments is the IT trade organisation, Intellect. Its director general, John Higgins, said the measures would have an impact, both on improving NHS procurement and deployment, and opening the market for suppliers to pitch products to NHS organisations. He added: “Stimulating the market is as much about having informed customers as a responsive supplier community. With the DH we have outlined a new approach to engaging the customer and supply side in a more collaborative and transparent way. Together, we are committed to overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of the NHS harnessing leading and innovative information technology.”
We hope this transparency will send a clear signal to the supplier community that the NHS IT market is open for business
The new initiatives come just months before the Government is due to publish its Information Strategy, and Davis said it was time to concentrate on the successes, rather than look back at the failures of the national programme. She added: “The infrastructure is largely there now and we need to sharpen our focus on better outcomes for patients. Great information technology should be a matter of course in the NHS. It shouldn't be front page news, but the public often sees only the downside. We need to highlight our successes.”