21st century IT revisited: a personal view
Ted Woodhouse, an experienced former NHS IT director and now
part-time specialist healthcare-ICT consultant, discusses progress to date
of NHS IT in England and potential problems for the future.
ABSTRACT
In the past eight years, there has been a plethora of policies,
strategies, initiatives and plans that have affected ICT in the NHS. These
include Information for health, The NHS plan, Securing our future health:
taking a long-term view, Delivering 21st century IT, Agenda for change, NHS
improvement plan, Creating a patient-led NHS, and Commissioning a
patient-led NHS. Each is examined in terms of effect, progress and future.
It is concluded that progress has been varied, but, more significantly, many
problems have been caused, and will continue to be caused, by the impact of
government and DoH policies originating from outside the NHS IT arena,
largely as a result of inadequate consultation.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(3): 14–16. |
