CfH report hails “foundations” of reform
Over 30,000 clinicians are now registered users of the NHS Care Records Service ‘data spine’ and over 124,000 users have registered with Contact, the secure e-mail and directory service, according to the annual report from Connecting for Health (CfH). Chief executive, Richard Granger, concludes in his foreword to the report: "The foundations have been […]
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New twist in medical records opt-out saga
The government ‘does not envisage any circumstances’ where a patient’s decision to have some or all of their health record deleted would lead to them being de-registered from the NHS, the Commons heard in a debate on medical records. Wycombe MP, Paul Goodman raised the issue in an adjournment debate focused on the case of […]
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GPs vote against NHS Connecting for Health
Despite improved relationships with the leadership of the BMA, last week’s Local Medical Committees’ (LMC) conference revealed just how far Connecting for Health still has to go to win the confidence and support of grass-roots GPs. NHS Connecting for Health’s (CfH) GP clinical leads last week failed to win over delegates at the BMA’s main family […]
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UK is Europe’s “star” in health information websites
The United Kingdom’s health services have come top of a European-wide healthcare survey for patient access to information due to the number of health websites despite being labelled overall as "mediocre" and ranked ninth out of 12 for health service quality. The 2005 EuroHealth Consumer Index, which was published by Brussels-based so-called ‘do-tank’, Health Consumer Powerhouse, […]
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Technology key to modernisation, says NHS Confed
Technology, people and improved processes were described as the key tools that can help modernise and improve the NHS at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference yesterday. Rob Webster, the DH’s deputy director of workforce told delegate that better use of technology will be crucial if services are to meet the ambitious Public Sector Agreement targets of realising […]
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Better information and IT in view for kidney care
IT to support primary care staff whose work includes prevention of and treatment for kidney disease is a key component of the new Renal Services Information Strategy published this week. The information strategy has been designed to support Part 2 of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Renal Services dealing with chronic kidney disease (CKD), […]
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Welsh health IT prepares for delivery
The Welsh NHS IT reform programme, Informing Healthcare (IHC), has just released its National Case document and formally set up a series of Service Improvement Projects to start the process of implementing electronic health records in a number of key areas. The projects will focus on the areas of chronic disease management, unified assessment and […]
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Nurses happier using telecare, says international survey
Many nurses who specialise in telecare are experiencing greater job satisfaction than those who do not, according to the results of a major international survey into the use of IT in nursing. 59% of ‘telenurses’ claimed that they are happier caring for patients over video, e-mail or phone connections than in person. Reasons cited by nurses […]
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Telecare specialist Tunstall bought in £225m deal
Tunstall, the specialist in personal and home telecare, has been acquired by private equity firm Bridgepoint from Hg Capital in a deal worth a total of £225m. In a simultaneous deal Tunstall has acquired Attendo Response and Attendo Systems, a market-leader in Scandinavian telecare solutions. The acquisition will create a group with combined annual sales […]
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Choose and Book set to miss 2005 targets
The government’s targets for the implementation of Choose and Book this year look almost certain to be missed, despite being one of the health department’s key priorities. Continuing problems with clinical engagement and delays in implementing fully integrated Choose and Book systems are two of the key issues holding back roll-out of the system according […]
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