News
New website to support GP's rights to choose software
1 February 2008
The user groups of GP practice software supplied by EMIS, INPS, iSOFT,
Microtest and Healthy Software, have jointly created a website to
counter the pressure being put on GPs by their primary care trusts and
strategic health authorities to use a single system within their region.
The GP Choice website aims to ensure that practices are fully
informed about the options open to them, so that they can make an
informed choice.
The EMIS National User Group says that it wrote to all EMIS users in
January to outline their choices and inform them about the new website.
It says that practices that want to change systems should be offered a
choice of systems from the six suppliers who have signed GPSoC contracts
with NHS Connecting for Health (EMIS, Healthy Software Limited, INPS,
iSOFT, Microtest, Seetec) as well as that provided by the local service
provider and should not be subjected to pressure sales techniques.
The argument for maintaining choice — which is allowed under the GP
Systems of Choice (GPSoC) contract — is that practices are best able to
judge which system meets their specific requirements and have spent
years customising their systems to get the best out of them. The free
choice of systems over the last 25 years has ensured the best systems
have survived and competition has ensured that systems evolve and
innovate to meet changing needs and stay in the market.
Further information
GP Choice website: www.gpchoice.org
Investing in General Practice: The New General Medical Services
Contract (downloads PDF file):
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=22998&Rendition=Web
Connecting for Health GPSoC website
www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/gpsupport/gpsoc
|
