Trusts refuse to pay suppliers’ legacy upgrade costs
The National Programme for IT’s policy on legacy systems is causing confusion among trusts and suppliers over who should pay the costs of upgrading systems to enable them to communicate with the spine. Evidence seen by E-Health Insider indicates that most NHS trusts are unwilling to collaboratively fund suppliers upgrade costs – an approach […]
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Secure email for health unscrambles new markets
Kodak’s Secure Email System (SES), which up until now has been used solely in healthcare, has been made available to other markets following a deal with software developer Cephire Technologies. The software is currently in use in the US and Europe in hospitals for the exchange of images and patient information between healthcare professionals and […]
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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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ETP might have blocked Shipman, inquiry says
Electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) could have stopped Dr Shipman from prescribing controlled drugs for so long without anybody noticing, the most recent Shipman Inquiry report has found. As long as ETP was made secure, and “all prescriptions, both private and NHS, were recorded on the common spine, there could be greatly improved regulation of controlled drugs,” […]
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Trial on satellite-assisted ambulance
A trial is about to start on satellite assistance for specially-equipped ambulances which will enable staff to send information, including X-rays, to a medical centre from the scene of an accident. The technology, to be trialled in the Italian town of Vicenza, was demonstrated at a recent meeting on the theme of Telemedicine via Satellite […]
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Patients need access to electronic records, say academics
Patients can and should have access to their electronic health records, in order to keep them up-to-date and accurate, a year-long study from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) has found. The study, prepared by Claire Harris and Ruth Boaden on behalf of UMIST’s Health Organisations Research Centre, suggests that the […]
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Combative Granger defends speed of IT reform
Richard Granger, Director General of NHS IT, has hit back at critics of his approach to implementing the national programme, saying that patient safety and the fast pace of technology continue to be the main drivers for driving change. Speaking yesterday at the Government Computing Exhibition and Conference 2004, Earls Court, Granger emphasised the benefits […]
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National programme caught in spinal trap
With less than four weeks to go to the first scheduled release from the National Programme for IT (NPfIT), highly credible industry sources suggest that the 27 June deadline for P1R1 (phase one release one) of the programme may be missed or only partially met. P1R1 covers the patient demographic service to be made available […]
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University Hospital Aintree wins pharmacy IT award
The pharmacy department at University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool has won the 2004 First DataBank Guild of Healthcare Pharmacist Information Technology Award for its effective electronic transfer of discharge prescriptions pilot. The University Hospital Aintree pharmacy department was chosen for its development of a system to transfer patient discharge information securely and quickly between the hospital […]
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Basildon and Thurrock notches up wireless “first”
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust has become the first NHS Trust to implement a fully wireless-enabled network. Staff at the trust will now be able to roam wirelessly and access critical information at the point of care, meeting patient needs faster and reducing errors. Administration staff and management will also be able to access files and […]
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