New NHS email system switched on
The new NHS email system, Contact, has belatedly gone live after the abortive launch two weeks ago – but early indications from some E-Health Insider readers suggest that some significant teething problems remain with the new Cable & Wireless provided ‘Contact’ system. One NHS IT manager wrote to E-Health Insider this week providing his anonymous […]
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NPfIT refutes claims on unforeseen costs
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) last night issued a lengthy statement refuting claims that it will generate billions of pounds worth of unforeseen costs. The programme said it has always made it clear that it would be spending up to 4% of the NHS budget, in line with recommendations in the Wanless Review. The […]
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Contact lost as NHS e-mail relaunch misfires
Contact, the new NHS e-mail service supplied by Cable and Wireless, is down for maintenance after problems at its launch on Friday, which some reports say left staff without access to their mailboxes. The Contact service has been temporarily replaced with the previous NHSmail system, as supplied by EDS. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the servers […]
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Brent goes live with Graphnet drug action team solution
Brent Primary Care Trust, north west London, has gone live with a new system developed by Graphnet to enable drug action teams (DATs) to meet reporting targets. DATs, across the UK are responsible for drug strategies for adults and they have report to the National Treatment Agency to obtain funding. The new system, developed by […]
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Over 5,000 GP practices now ready for QMAS
The Department of Health have announced that over 5,000 out of the 9,000 GP practices in England are now able to use the Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS), the web-based feedback system that automatically uploads practice activity data for GPs to be paid and monitored under the new General Medical Services contract. QMAS was […]
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Why GPs face Hobson’s choice
An exclusive interview with Sean Riddell, deputy managing director of EMIS, about how he believes that GPs are being denied the choice of systems promised to them under the GP contract.
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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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NHS Scotland begins national EPR procurement
The NHS National Services Scotland, on behalf of NHS Scotland, has issued an OJEU invitation for expressions of interest for systems and services to support the national development of electronic patient records. NHS Scotland plans to procure a system known as Generic Clinical System (GCS), which will provide a set of tools to facilitate flexible […]
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EMIS users urged to protest about systems choice
The head of the EMIS National User Group (NUG) has written to all EMIS users calling on them to lobby their MPs, local Primary Care Trusts or Local Medical Committees to express their concerns about National Programme for IT (NPfIT) strategy on choice of GP systems. The letter from Dr Manpreet Pujara, chair of EMIS NUG, […]
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Sun awarded ‘tactical’ NHS desktop contract
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has concluded an evaluation project with Sun Microsystems over the potential use of Sun’s open-source Java Desktop System within the NHS as an alternative to Microsoft. E-Health Insider can exclusively reveal that NPfIT “has concluded that the Java Desktop System, which runs on the Linux operating system, represents a […]
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