Go live for indirectly bookable services

Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets PCTs in London have gone live with indirectly bookable services (IBS) – the system that enables acute trusts with patient administration systems not compliant with Choose and Book to use to make electronic bookings.

IBS was released as part of Version 2.1 of Choose and Book at the end of May. Wandsworth went live at the end of June and Tower Hamlets last week.

Hannah Smith, choose and book manager in Tower Hamlets, said so far only two bookings had been made. "It’s too early to report on progress," she said.

The system is being used in four practices by around 20 GPs and in eight specialities.

Smith said: "IBS has been very much welcomed by our acute trust (Barts and the London) as without it they would not be able to use Choose and Book.

"For us it is a workable solution as we will not have to retrain our GPs when the acute trust becomes compliant next year."

IBS is seen as an interim measure, due to be phased out by the end of 2006. PCTs able to switch from IBS to a fully integrated system for 90% of their appointments by then will receive an incentive payment of £100,000.