Chair of NHS Direct announced
The Department of Health has appointed David Edmonds CBE as chair of NHS Direct, his appointment comes in advance of the establishment of NHS Direct as a special health authority in April 2004. Announcing the appointment, for an initial period of four years, health minister Rosie Winterton, said: “I am delighted with the appointment of Mr […]
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New tool aids patient-psychiatrist communication
A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry has found that a simple communications tool designed to facilitate patient-psychiatrist communication, can enable patients to play a greater role in contributing to the overall management of their condition and can lead to changes in how they are treated. The 2-COM tool, freely available online, is a […]
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Final call for entries to 2004 EU e-health awards
The closing date for entries to European Union’s eEurope Awards for eHealth comes later this month, with the deadline falling on 21 January. Winners of the eEurope Awards for eHealth will be announced at May’s High-Level European eHealth Conference and Exhibition, in Cork. The goal of the awards is to help demonstrate where Europe currently […]
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First DataBank consortium wins dm+d validation contract
A consortium led by First DataBank, and including IMS Health and ADEL/Synapse Consulting, has won a mapping validation contract from the NHS Information Authority’s UK Standard Clinical Products Reference Source (UKCPRS) Programme to support the introduction of the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d). The dm+d is the latest name for the integrated product […]
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Granger repeats PACS warning
The head of the NHS’ £5bn IT modernisation programme has again warned suppliers of Picture Archiving and Storage Systems (PACS) to cut their prices, or be subjected to ‘radical surgery if they don’t come back with lower bids. In an interview with the Financial Times, NHS IT director-general repeated his warning, first reported by E-Health […]
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Feature: Using information effectively
The Nuffield Trust and the Commission for Health Improvement have both highlighted the need for the NHS to improve its use of information. Stephen Pincock investigates. When the Nuffield Trust published its latest report on the government’s efforts to improve quality in the NHS, the verdict was painted in broadly upbeat strokes. But […]
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Online service to tackle bed blocking
A new online service designed to help social services staff in London find vacant beds at care homes and avoid hospital bed blocking has been launched by Bettercaring. Since 1 January local authorities have been liable to pay fines if their failure to find care home places results in hospital beds being occupied by […]
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E-prescribing gets underway at Countess of Chester
A successful pilot for FileTek UK’s Meditech electronic prescribing (EP) system at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Cheshire, has opened the way for a full 12 -18 month roll-out of the system starting in early 2004. FileTek says that the system provides total integration between pharmacy stock system and the other patient-based Meditech modules, […]
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E-honours in the New Year list
Leading figures in e-government and the Internet are recognised in today’s New Year Honours. At the top of the pile, there are knighthoods for the inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, and chief executive of the Office for Government Commerce, Peter Gershon. The government’s e-envoy, Andrew Pinder, is awarded a CBE. […]
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Consumers need skills to use Net health help
Consumers need to develop search and appraisal skills to get the best out of health information on the Internet, according to an Australian study. The small study, documented in a set of articles in the Journal of Medical Internet Research looking at how consumers search for health information, found a range of search and […]
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