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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E-booking milestone reached
In an exclusive E-Health Insider has learned that the national programme for IT has successfully reached one of its key early milestones, with the first on-line patient appointments of the Choose and Book service made in early adopter sites. Despite well publicised delays to the ‘spine’ project, upon which electronic booking is dependent, the first […]
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Doctors to vote on national patient record system consent
Doctors attending next week’s British Medical Association Local Medical Committee conference are to vote on whether patients’ records should be automatically loaded onto the NHS national data spine of records, even if they have not given their consent for their records to be shared. Concerns about consent are at the centre of a series of […]
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BT to compensate NPfIT for missed N3 targets
BT has been asked to pay the NHS damages for missing two targets in the delivery of its N3 broadband service. A spokesperson for the NPfIT said: “BT has met all but 2 of 56 milestone deliverables with in the first phase of this work. The authority has therefore requested that BT pay an appropriate […]
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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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Doubts raised over first NPfIT delivery deadlines
The leak of a confidential BT document, highlighting “material contractual issues", has raised concerns that the first June delivery dates of the National Programme for IT may prove extremely challenging to meet. Phase one, release one of the national programme, which largely focuses on the first phase of the Data Spine and introduction of electronic […]
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Joint guidance issued on GP system choice
Definitive guidance on the issue of choice of practice systems has been issued which makes it plain that practices should not be forced to switch to a new system until "a clearly better alternative" is available together with a proven route to migration. The new guidance has been jointly produced by the joint IT committee of the […]
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Communications boss appointed by national programme
The National Programme for IT finally has a communications director, after an on-off-on search that began early last year. The new post has been taken up this month by James Herbert, previously a former army officer, BBC broadcast journalist and ex-head of global media relations with oil giant Shell. Commenting on the challenge Herbert […]
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EMIS predicts signing deals with three LSPs
Primary care systems supplier EMIS has said that is confident that EMIS products and services will be available “working via LSPs alongside the NPfIT” in at least three of the five clusters of the national programme. The company has issued no details of the nature of the agreements it expects to reach with the three […]
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Health Language to help NPfIT avoid ‘Tower of Babel’
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has signed a deal with Health Language Inc., to provide its Language Engine (LE) technology, to help deliver enterprise-wide clinical terminology services. Under the deal Health Language will provide its LE technology to be used throughout the national programme, including the National Application Service Provider (NASP), delivering the national […]
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