Nicholson highlights GP data risks
The Information Commissioner has identified GPs as a data security risk, according to David Nicholson, chief executive of the NHS. Nicholson has written to NHS chief executives, asking them to check that their organisations are encrypting removable data and re-emphasising that information risk management should be high on their agendas. In the letter, Nicholson also […]
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Hospitals to assess satisfaction ‘in real time’
Health secretary Alan Johnson told the Labour Party conference yesterday that he wants to see NHS trusts collecting “immediate feedback” from patients on their experience of care. The Mirror newspaper was briefed that this might mean hospitals giving patients PDAs. However, the Department of Health could only say that trusts might “opt” to use hand-held […]
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Competition begins to open up in the South
Competition for NHS IT business in the south of England looks set to become a lot more “flexible”, with trusts and strategic health authorities planning to take different approaches. Gary Cohen, executive chairman of IBA Health Group, the owners of iSoft, told E-health Insider that competition looks certain in the region, following Fujitsu being axed […]
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Patient’s awareness of treatment choices stalls
The latest national patient choice survey shows little growth in awareness of the government’s flagship policy on choice with less than one in two patients recalling being offered a choice of hospital.
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Intellect calls for more IT in diabetes care
The trade association Intellect has expressed disappointment that the Department of Health’s latest policy statement on diabetes fails to give a role to telehealth and telecare. The DH issued a five-year update on its National Service Framework for diabetes care last week, and argued that it had made significant strides in identifying people at risk […]
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The Adventurous 4.0
In the latest column from NHS Connecting for Health, Choose and Book’s national medical director, Dr Stephen Miller, outlines the latest developments to the online booking system.
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CfH plans to extend practice IT support hours
NHS Connecting for Health has announced plans to extend the support hours provided by GP IT suppliers to cover extended hours opening by GP practices. The IT agency is currently consulting with suppliers about extending the opening hours of IT support desks at both ends of the day. Currently the GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) […]
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Choice on the buses
Solihull NHS Care Trust and Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust have launched a four month advertising campaign for patient choice and Choose and Book. The campaign, which started this week, will see advertisements placed on 124 buses, 85 bus stops and 48 billboards along major bus routes in the area. The two organisations […]
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Choose and Book fails to offer choice
Choose and Book failed to deliver its promise of choice of hospital, time and date of apppintment , a newly-published study shows.
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South may split between CSC and BT
No single prime contractor may be appointed to replace Fujitsu in the programme to upgrade NHS IT systems in the South of England. Instead, the region may be split between the two remaining prime contractors, BT and Computer Sciences Corporation. E-Health Insider has learned that some trusts covered by NHS South East Coast, one of […]
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