Posts Tagged ‘NPfIT’

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“Clarity” needed for NHS IT in 2012

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

A recent survey has revealed that the primary focus of the NHS in 2012 should be on creating “clarity” around the roles and responsibilities of local organisations in order to make the most of the government’s latest round of reforms.

Participants in the eHealth Insider survey felt that in the “chaos” of the current changes, a lack of clarity could mean that the NHS may not focus on smart investments in people and technology.

John Cruikshank, Director of Health ICT Consulting, said clarity was also needed to keep up momentum on IT investment. He warned that some NHS organisations may be unable to respond to the IT agenda with the same scale and pace of others. He also stated that due to the disappearance of strategic health authorities (SHAs), the NHS could potentially return to “the days of the 1990s”, with significant variation in the implementation and use of IT.

One of the greatest barriers to IT adoption in 2012 is thought to have been the failure of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT), which has reportedly lead to some Trusts ”pulling back” from IT projects. Jonathan Edwards, Managing Director of The Advisory Group Company, said that many Trusts think that to “start from scratch” with regards to implementing new IT products will be too difficult due to the harsh financial climate the NHS is operating in.

Edwards asserts that Trusts should focus on the opportunities a new IT implementation could bring a opposed to the difficulties, stating there is a need to build strong business cases around IT procurements and their potential benefits.

Paul Smith, EHI Intelligence Head of Research, agreed the pressure was on for business cases to show a quick financial return, often having to do so within a year. He said the EHI Intelligence Market Forecast Report published in 2011 had shown that some NHS IT directors were worried that this would make it difficult to invest in technologies that might deliver a bigger return over time, particularly for clinicians and patients.

Smith asserted however that 2012 will present plenty of opportunities as people in the NHS and the IT industry “really want to make things happen.”

Pathway Software has a developed a business case builder that takes into account all aspects of clinical, administrative and managerial activity, enabling decision makers to accurately forecast where and how savings could be generated. The model quantifies the cost-savings and ranks the non-financial benefits that should be achieved as a result of deploying Therapy Manager. For more information, click here.

Original Source eHealth Insider

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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NPfIT stunted NHS IT

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Katie Davis, the Managing Director of NHS Informatics, has said that the defunct National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has “stunted” the growth of the NHS IT market.

In order to deliver the government’s “connect all” strategy, Davis said that success will depend on reversing this trend and encouraging growth in NHS IT. She says that creating a more vibrant market will require greater openness and transparency, with the focus being placed on value for money, clinical benefits and local choice. Furthermore, she stated the need for the NHS to be an “intelligent customer”.

Despite the fact that the reforms resulting from the controversial Health and Social Care Bill have yet to be implemented, the NHS will require dramatically different IT systems to support restructuring of working processes. It is widely believed that changes to IT are essential if the efficiency savings of £20 billion are to be made over the next four years without the NHS suffering a reduction in quality.

The government consulted on a new information strategy to support its reforms last year, but the strategy itself has never been published. Davis said it remains a work in progress, but should be published this winter.

Davies also emphasised that whilst a marketplace with a diverse range of capable companies supplying proven products still existed, it had been stunted by large scale IT failures.

Commenting on the NPfIT, Davis said that one of the largest factors attributing to it’s failure was that too much emphasis was placed on replacing existing systems rather than connecting up any existing and successful local systems. She admitted to being “surprised” that it has taken so long to begin to redirect the NPfIT to deliver the “connect all” strategy, which is focused on connecting up and building on existing systems, using standards and interoperability. This has been government policy for more than 18 months, and Davis made it clear that she intends to quicken the pace of change.

“NPfIT has never been a single programme, but about 20 different main projects and the majority of these will continue,” she asserted, stating that it was a priority for the government to resolve any unfinished NPfIT business.

Ultimately, Davis stressed that going forward the themes of NHS IT will be both “continuity” of services that the NHS has come to rely on, and “change” in the services that demand it. Across the NHS, it is estimated that there are in excess of 500 programmes that require ongoing support, and she is reviewing how this should be done in the future.

With reduced government backing, the NPfIT will become more optional for Trusts, granting them the ability to allocate their own budget into relevant areas and smaller, tailored solutions. With this in mind, Trust’s could look to implement an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system such as Therapy Manager, which is highly focused on efficiently capturing and reporting on clinical activity within Therapies. It can also be seamlessly integrated with the majority of Trust-wide solutions and Therapies-specific applications.

Original Source eHealth Insider

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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Major Errors in NPfIT Report

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The Cabinet Office has published its Major Projects Authority’s (MPA) review of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS following the announcement of it’s dissolution this week, but it has been observed that this report contains a significant number of factual errors and omissions.

The report formed the basis of the government’s decision to dismantle the NPfIT, but contains numerous errors such as misspelling the names of many Trusts and providing only a partial picture of the vendors currently supplying the NHS IT market.

With regards to suppliers of Patient Administration Systems (PAS) to the NHS, the report stated that there were few alternative suppliers to Cerner and iSoft’s existing product ranges, and that only McKesson and GE Healthcare products were ready to use within the NHS trusts. This neglected to consider that many Trusts use a PAS system from a number of other providers or in some cases have internally developed national systems such as some Welsh health boards using Myrddin PAS. It also does not allow for the possibility of individual Trust choice or provision from small and medium enterprises, a move which the Department of Health (DoH) assert they are actively trying to encourage.

The MPA document goes on to state that there are no next-generation solutions fully developed for use in the NHS, and that iSoft’s Lorenzo is the most developed. It also suggests that the NHS should continue to invest in Lorenzo, despite widespread concerns about it’s implementation and use-ability. The review does call for a statement of agreed delivery and penalties for non-delivery, and says that if this cannot be agreed this part of the programme should be axed as cost effectively as possible. Just this morning however, Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust has refused to to sign off on its deployment of Lorenzo because it is not satisfied with the level of functionality delivered.

The MPA report takes a far more positive view of Cerner Millennium, describing it as a fully mature product in London, where it is being deployed to trusts by local service provider BT.
This is also the DoH view, as expressed in a statement issued alongside the government’s announcement last week. This view is not universally acknowledged however, as it has been reported that a number of senior clinicians at several ‘mature’ Cerner sites have described the system as clunky, poorly used and requiring numerous work-arounds.

There are also a number of omissions surrounding mental health, asserting that there is only one mental health system in the market, and then attributes this to the wrong supplier. In reality, there are a number of mental health systems available from different suppliers, all of which are currently in use by mental health trusts on a wide scale.

Overall, the report has caused concern as it is the basis on which the future of the NPfIT and it’s remaining funding will be decided.

Original Source eHealth Insider

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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NHS to overhaul NPfIT

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Following a review of the £12.7 billion National Programme for IT (NPfIT), the government has announced that the project will be scrapped, allowing hospitals to choose their own computer systems.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson have collectively decided it is better to discontinue the programme at this level of investment rather than to continue to spend on a project that may ultimately fail.

The NPfIT was originally set up in 2002 and aimed to link all parts of the NHS in England under one electronic record system, however this began to quickly run over allotted time and budget. The original objective was to ensure that every patient had an individual electronic care record which could be rapidly transmitted between different parts of the NHS.

Ministers worked to reconfigure the scheme last year, but after a fresh review have decided to let hospitals choose their own systems rather than relying on a nationally imposed programme. The decision comes as the review panel decided that there was no confidence that the NPfIT plans could still be delivered.

In July, the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised the programme for failing to deliver the promised universal system. A PAC report concluded that the provider’s ability to deliver the promised product had proved beyond their capacity. At the time, the report stated that
“implementation of alternative up-to-date IT systems has fallen significantly behind schedule and costs have escalated.”

“It was meant to be a very helpful thing for NHS staff and patients but instead has become this amazingly top-heavy, hideously expensive programme. The problem is, it didn’t deliver”, said a Department of Health source.

A government source said elements of the programme would remain but ministers would take direct control. Trusts will still be have to ability to share patient information, and the appointment service and email system will remain despite the lack of an overarching integrated care records system.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley commented on the decision saying that the implementation of an all-encompassing top-down IT system for the local NHS was not fit for purpose and was not in line with individual Trust needs. He asserted that the government will take a new strategy, moving to an innovative new system driven by local decision-making. “This is the only way to make sure we get value for money from IT systems that better meet the needs of a modernised NHS” he said.

Health Minister Simon Burns, said that the government will now allow hospitals to use and develop the IT they already have and add to their environment either by integrating systems purchased through the existing national contracts or elsewhere. Providers of NHS care such as hospitals and GP surgeries will now be told to strike IT deals locally and regionally to get the best programmes they can afford.

Original Source BBC News

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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How to fix NHS IT

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Writing for IT Pro, Tom Brewster has outlined 5 key steps that could help to fix some of the problems surrounding the state of current NHS IT.

Following the failure of large and nationally implemented directives such as the £11.4 billion National Programme for IT (NPfIT), there is still uncertainty surrounding the merits of fully integrated electronic care records systems, with many Trusts now seeking to tender to external contractors. Furthermore, the Department of Health (DoH) has still not provided any clarity as to where the remaining funds from the abandoned project will be directed and what will happen to those Trusts who opted to implement systems from within the NPfIT.

A Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report claimed that failings on behalf of the project’s organisers, bad management and an inability to negotiate effectively to secure the best deals were pinpointed as serious issues attributing to the failure of the project.

Despite these large scale failures, Brewster asserts that there are 5 steps that could fix NHS IT.

1. Get the DoH in order
Brewster states that the problems began during the procurement phase, when the contracts between BT and CSC were signed promising the delivery of the necessary infrastructure for the NPfIT. He believes that in order to avoid the situation reoccurring, the DoH needs to firstly outline a solid strategy and, secondly, have negotiators who won’t pander to large IT providers. A modular approach should be taken to implementing projects, and the right providers based on their competencies selected. Furthermore, they should seek to lay out firmer guidelines on the systems themselves, such as a common standards policy that ensures all equipment used is interoperable. From there, different care givers can begin to build a structure that enables interoperability between an NHS trust in a region and nationwide.

2. Find the right contractors
If the DoH wants to avoid future problems, it needs to pick the right vendor from the start, holding comprehensive procurement processes and making the right choices when going out to tender. Brewster says that it is not just the prowess of a company that’s important, but their honesty and a proven ability to deliver on time and on budget.

3. Look to the hybrid cloud
Despite many current examples of cloud based projects in the NHS, many undertaking IT projects do not fully consider this option. By taking baby steps rather than diving blindly into public cloud offerings, the NHS would gain both experience and potential monetary benefits. The hybrid model would enable the transition of certain data off-premise, whilst providing the scalability an organisation like the NHS needs. Greater use of the cloud would also mean less money spent on unneeded capacity or infrastructure, as well as less expense on upgrades if they are handled by the vendor.
4. Co-ordinate with Trusts and Clinicians
The PAC report suggested that actual interaction with doctors and health staff would be highly beneficial. The needs of the NHS staff using the system need to be taken into consideration, as it is the end user’s satisfaction that will eventually be the judge of a project’s success.

5. Stay ambitious, but stay smart
The DoH needs to scale down its grand plans, ensuring each NHS trust has effective IT in place rather than trying to lump a single system onto them all at once. The idea of a nationwide infrastructure for NHS data sharing is not unachievable, but it needs all the right measures in place to be possible.

Original Source IT Pro

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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Posted in IT | No Comments »

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