NHSU folds in arm’s length review
The NHSU which was hailed as the NHS’s corporate university and promised innovative learning from a virtual campus is to fold. A new Special Health Authority, the NHS Institute for Learning, Skills and Innovation (NILSI), is to replace the NHSU, NHS Modernisation Agency and the NHS Leadership Centre as well as supporting a new Innovation Centre. […]
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BGS to help NHS Direct bridge language barriers
Bowne Global Solutions (BGS), has announced that it has signed a contract with NHS Direct to provide the nurse-led telephonic health advice and information service with interpreters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The contract provides a framework agreement allowing other NHS organisations to use BGS at common pricing and levels of service. […]
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Pharmacies may soon open online, says DH
The Department of Health have announced that solely internet-based pharmacies may soon be allowed to open in the UK and process prescriptions. A paper published by the DH regarding deregulation of pharmacy services in the UK promises an exemption to mail-order or internet-based pharmacies as long as “such pharmacies provide a fully professional service within […]
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NHSIA axed in arm’s-length bodies review
A long-anticipated axe fell on the NHS Information Authority (NHSIA) today when its abolition was announced as part of the Department of Health’s “Arm’s-length Bodies Review”. The NHSIA’s IT work will be incorporated into the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) and its information-related functions will be transferred to a new Health and Social Care Information […]
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Treasury plans £6.8bn NHS savings through IT
Today’s Gershon report, “Releasing resources to the front line: Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency", has said that IT reform is critical to the NHS achieving its target of saving of £6.8bn by 2008. The report was published on the same day that Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the Treasury’s 2004 spending review in Parliament, which […]
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Halligan: “Connection” goal of IT reform
Aidan Halligan, deputy chief medical officer and director general of strategic development for the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT), has declared that his ultimate goal is to make connections between “clinicians, patients and the totality of health and social care resources” in a "community of knowledge". “Connection is at the core of our vision […]
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Agency due to lead NHS IT change management scrapped
The Government is to scrap the NHS Modernisation Agency (MA), the agency charged with delivering the change management programme that is meant to accompany the new computer systems to be delivered by the National Programme for IT (NPfIT). The MA, which has 760 staff and a £230 million budget, was meant to be responsible for […]
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Hunt on for public sector IT tsar
The hunt is on for a person to take on to find the candidate to fill the “most influential role in UK IT", with the Government looking for a new head of e-government to replace the current e-envoy Andrew Pinder when he retires later this summer. This new role a super Government IT Tsar, or […]
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Long Term Approach to IT Reform for NHS Wales
A long term commitment to transforming healthcare using information and IT is outlined in NHS Wales’ new strategy, Informing Healthcare. The emphasis of the early part of the implementation will be on legacy management and ensuring that the service is ready to run with the changes. Informing Healthcare says the most commonly cited cause of […]
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eMatron – the Ultimate Nursing Boss
With no role out of bounds for the IT revolution, a US healthcare technology provider has devised electronic decision support software which effectively replaces Matron. PR Decision Tools Inc. says that the software – nicknamed eMatron by its UK distributors – will be marketed as Nurse Leader Online. The idea is that hard-pressed hospitals will […]
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