QOF publication due despite GP concerns
Publication of individual practice results for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is likely to go ahead in England, Wales and Northern Ireland next month despite concerns from GP representatives. The results from three of the four countries in the UK are due to appear more than two months after Scotland became the first to […]
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Cystic fibrosis patients test out mobile support
Encouraging early results have been seen in trials of a mobile device to support people living with the life-limiting genetic condition, cystic fibrosis. The system, which uses an electronic lung function meter connected to an Xda II from O2, a colour PDA with mini PC capability and a mobile handset an integrated device. The Xda II […]
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Fingerprint health record access wins £3,000 prize
A group of GP practices, which enable patients to access their records using biometrics and view health information and book appointments online in kiosks, has won a £3,000 award for its use of IT. The Imaginative Health Cluster, which covers almost 38,000 patients in Derbyshire, was installed at the beginning of the year and features […]
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‘Choose and Book’ will improve, says Pringle
Choose and book will improve over this summer, Professor Mike Pringle, GP lead for NHS Connecting for Health has pledged. Professor Pringle told EHI Primary Care that while he understood GPs’ current frustrations with the system, improvements are already being tried and more are on the way. He said: “E-booking is a great boon for […]
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22 NHS organisations convert to shared services
The joint venture between outsourcing and technology specialists, Xansa ,and the Department of Health which offers shared finance and accounting services has attracted 22 NHS organisations since it started work. Xansa’s annual report says that since the joint venture, NHS Shared Business Services, was announced in October 2004, the number of NHS organisations using the financial and […]
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Technology key to transformed ambulance services
Electronic patient records and the planned central repository for patient information will be vital components of many the changes needed to transform the ambulance service in England, a newly-published review predicts. The review conducted by national ambulance adviser, Peter Bradley, says that the number of ambulance trusts needs to be reduced by at least 50% […]
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Nurse prescribers lack access to computer systems
Lack of access to computer-generated prescriptions is holding back nurse prescribing according to a report published this week. An evaluation of extended formulary nurse prescribing by Southampton University found that the two factors that made nurse prescribing difficult were the limitations of the formulary and lack of computer-generated prescriptions. The report, commissioned by the Department […]
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Comments invited for NHS electronic record guidance
The Department of Health has issued a revised version of its guidance for records management in the NHS to reflect increasing use of electronic patient and administration records, and has put the document out for consultation. NHS Connecting for Health announced that it has been working closely with the DH to develop the document, […]
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Cerner and Fujitsu reach agreement on Southern Cluster
US health IT supplier, Cerner Corporation, and local service provider for England’s Southern NHS Cluster, Fujitsu, have agreed a memorandum of understanding for supplying clinical software in place of IDX Systems Corporation’s Carecast. Fujitsu and Connecting for Health, the agency in charge of the National Programme for IT, issued an announcement today saying: “We can […]
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Patient survey shows worries about spine security
The majority of the public are concerned about the security of their medical records being held on a central computer system, according to a survey commissioned by the British Medical Association. In the UK-wide survey of nearly 2000 adults, undertaken by YouGov, around three quarters of respondents expressed concerns about the security of their health […]
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