All-Wales Approach Proposed for Electronic Records
The long-awaited strategy for health information in Wales proposes a corporate, all-Wales approach to the development of electronic records and other information services. “Informing Healthcare” the consultative strategy paper published by the Welsh Assembly Government, says, “The known weaknesses of ‘centralisation’ will be overcome by a clear commitment that corporate resources are accountable directly to […]
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Live Testing of NHS Electronic Staff Records Begins
The live testing of a new national pay and personnel system for the, was launched on Friday at University Hospital Birmingham by Health Minister, Lord Philip Hunt. The National Shared Services Initiative’s Electronic Staff Record (ESR) will deliver an integrated human resources and payroll system across England and Wales, replacing the range of outdated systems […]
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EDS Signs $142m Deal for NHS Directory and e-Mail Service
IT services multinational, EDS, has finalised a $142m (£91m) deal to develop and deliver a full e-mail and directory service for NHS staff. EDS was first announced as the preferred bidder for the contract in May when the company was chosen ahead of Syntegra, the networking arm of British Telecom. The new service will give […]
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HCN Wins Extension on Australian Contract
Health Communication Network (HCN), an Australian medical IT and health software provider, has announced the renewal of an $8 million deal that will enable New South Wales (NSW) Health to provide doctors, nurses and allied health professionals with online health information through its Clinical Information Access Program (CIAP) health information database. NSW Health originally negotiated […]
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Official Launch for NHS Broadband in Wales
The NHS took a step towards greater broadband access last week when Wales health minister, Jane Hutt, officially launched the roll-out of a broadband network which will link all the service’s organisations in the principality. Supplied and managed by BT, the service is up and running and delivering improved e-mail and web services. Within a […]
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Health Data Protection Group Formed
The first meeting of the new Health Records and Data Protection Review Group, set up to advise the Government on helping people to gain access to their health records, took place on Friday, 24 May. The group, whose members represent patient groups, health and social care professionals and regulatory bodies, will advise the Government on […]
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European Mobile Health Takes First Steps
Mobile health aims to do nothing less than turn traditional healthcare on its head. As numerous speakers at Mobile Health Europe pointed out, to describe care provided away from a doctor’s office or hospital clinic as "remote care" misses the point entirely if you’re a patient. The promise of mobile healthcare is to enable care […]
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Community Nurses to Expose Poor IT Provision
Trusts that lag behind in providing modern IT for community nurses will be named and shamed by the nurses’ union, the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA) as part of its Making IT Happen campaign. A survey of local representatives is being carried out to find out how many community nurses are linked up […]
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Is Telemedicine Finally Delivering the Goods?
Telemedicine is working hard to wipe out its reputation for producing interesting projects but not much real-life action – and papers at the Royal Society of Medicine’s TeleMed ’02 conference this week reflected that mission. Titled “From Research to Service Delivery”, the conference’s agenda clearly aimed to convince the sceptics and hard-headed budget holders that […]
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Boxing Day Busiest Ever Day for NHS Direct
NHS Direct, the UK national telephone health advice service, had its busiest ever day on Boxing Bay, as the holiday season took its toll. The top enquiries were for vomiting, fever, coughs and diarrhoea. According to figures reported by the Guardian, the 24-hour nurse-led advice service took more than 24,000 calls on Boxing Day – […]
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