Patients rate good local services above choice
A report into patient choice has argued that while Choose and Book is seen by the public as a positive service improvement in the NHS, it does not meet their priorities for healthcare choice. The report found that the vast majority of patients value having high quality local health services available above choice. Interviewed by Which? 89% of patients […]
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GP2GP record transfers struggling on attachments
GP2GP record transfer is under threat because the NHS spine may be unable to cope with the size and number of attachments to GP records, according to GP representatives. It appears that the spine is unable to handle the large number of attachments – often vital documents like scanned hospital referral letters – which many […]
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Winning over clinicians key to success says Economist
Winning over busy, sceptical clinicians to the benefits of NHS IT modernisation has been highlighted as a key challenge by the influential journal, the Economist. A two page analysis of Connecting for Health’s programme concludes that the agency is making a better fist of the ‘dauntingly vast’ National Programme for IT than pessimists expected, but […]
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Red rose rising
EHI Primary Care talks to Lancashire Care NHS Trust, the first mental health trust in England to receive a PAS system from Connecting for Health.
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Go live for indirectly bookable services
Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets PCTs in London have gone live with indirectly bookable services (IBS) – the system that enables acute trusts with patient administration systems not compliant with Choose and Book to use to make electronic bookings. IBS was released as part of Version 2.1 of Choose and Book at the end of May. Wandsworth […]
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Increase seen in patient booking calls
The call centre set up to deal with Choose and Book appointments is beginning to receive a small number of calls but is calling on GPs to publicise its services more widely. Dilip Chakrabarti, national director of Booking and Choice at NHS Direct, said the Choose and Book Appointments Line (CABAL) is now receiving 120 […]
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Choose and Book work agreed with McKesson
Health IT specialist, McKesson has signed a framework agreement with NHS Connecting for Health for upgrade work to enable trusts using the firm’s TotalCARE patient administration system to implement Choose and Book. The system is used by 22 acute hospital trusts five of which have already been converted and are using TotalCARE to accept bookings. These include […]
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BT warned it may face chop in London
BT, one of the main contractors responsible for delivering the NHS IT modernisation programme, has been warned that it must start delivering in London or risk losing its £996 million contract for the capital. Leading a consortium called Capital Care Alliance BT was awarded a ten year contract to update NHS IT systems across the capital […]
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London project raises questions for Choose and Book
Patients offered a choice of hospital are more interested in hospital reputation than length of waiting time, according to a report published last week. The final evaluation of the London Patient Choice Project (LPCP) carried out by the King’s Fund, City University and RAND Europe raises a series of issues for Choose and Book policymakers. […]
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GP systems market shake-out predicted by Granger
The numbers of GP system suppliers and local pharmacies could be reduced within five years as the NHS IT programme transforms their markets, Richard Granger, chief executive of NHS Connecting for Health, has predicted. Granger described the primary care systems market as "immature" and based on a business model unlikely to be sustainable. He said: "I don’t […]
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