BMA sits on critical Choose and Book survey results
The British Medical Association has decided not to publish its own survey of Choose and Book which is highly critical of the e-booking system. A copy of the survey has, however, been obtained by EHI Primary Care. At the beginning of February BMA chairman Mr James Johnson promised the survey would be published “shortly” but […]
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CfH developing new voice services for N3
Connecting for Health and N3 have announced that they are developing a series of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) services on the N3 network, due to be launched this spring. Working with users, the two providers are aiming to provide new voices services which will enable users to enhance their existing N3 connection. BT this […]
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Wider engagement with pharmacists could yield benefits
Wider engagement with community pharmacists which could deliver a range of new services with the appropriate IT support and access to electronic records is being ignored by the NHS IT programme in England, according to a pharmacy body. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has told an inquiry into the future of pharmacy […]
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NHS is major IT investor in public sector
The government spent more that £12billion on IT across the public sector in 2005/06, with the NHS and Connecting for Health amongst the biggest investors, according to figures published in the Transformational Government annual report for 2006. The figures show that the NHS in England spent £1.4billion, which did not include the £1.1bn spent by […]
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Concern over slow progress in acute sector
A board paper written for the largest NHS trust in England says that its region of the National Programme for IT does not have a roadmap for delivering an electronic care record. The report, submitted to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, by director of informatics, Brian Derry and his deputy, Alastair Cartwright, in October says: […]
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CSC to continue to deploy TPP systems
CSC has confirmed that it will continue to work with Accenture’s main software sub-contractors in the North east and Eastern NHS regions, and it plans to continue to deploy systems from The Phoenix Partnership into primary and community care. Andrew Spence, the solutions director for CSC Alliance, told EHI Primary Care that following last Thursday’s […]
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Web 2.0 could be used in health e-learning
Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, podcasts and blogs could be quite effective tools in e-learning for health professionals in patients, according to a new paper published by BioMed Central. The very interactivity of the technology could prove a boon for professional and patient education, providing that any changes and collaboration is effectively monitored, say […]
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Nurses ‘losing enthusiasm’ for NHS IT reform
The number of nurses across the UK who believe in the benefits of IT reform in the NHS is falling, says the latest Nursix survey published by the Royal College of Nursing. Around 56% of nurses now say that IT reform is likely to improve clinical care and 49% agree that it will improve their […]
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Peer podcasts for doctors’ forum
Health minister Lord Warner has recorded his first ever podcast with doctors’ network Doctors.net.uk, answering questions placed to him by forum users. He answered questions on the Modernising Medical Careers recruitment reforms, NHS finances and headline jobs cuts, the growth in independent treatment centres and the future of IT in the NHS. "All healthcare systems across […]
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Lack of NPfIT involvement concerns nurses
Two leading nurses have expressed deep concern at the lack of involvement of the nursing community in the design of and preparation for the National Programme for IT. Professor Dame June Clark, chair of the Royal College of Nursing Information in Nursing Forum, and Richard Hayward, chair of the British Computer Society health informatics (nursing) […]
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