| It is too early to
say whether England’s 10-year National Programme for IT in the NHS will
deliver value for money, but there is potential for it to generate
substantial benefits — both financial and in improving the quality of
NHS services — if the significant challenges that have arisen can be
overcome. This is the conclusion of a report published last month by the
National Audit Office (NAO), the government body charged with assessing
whether taxpayers’ money is being well spent. “The main implementation
phase of the Programme and the realisation of benefits is mainly a
matter for the future”, says the report. And, as the NPfIT’s “main aim
is to improve services rather than reduce costs . . . it will therefore
be some time before it is possible fully to assess the value for money
of the Programme.”
Full story in bjhc&im July 2006 (605 words)
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