<<You bought it, you still use it, it works on a 386 machine which
wouldn't look at windows 95 - but it's no good? Why do you stick with
it?>>
Simple--but I already told you why---it does prescribing so we don't junk
it. But we cannot afford to buy anything else.   
 Do you understand that GPs BUY the hardware and software ourselves and
THEN pray that the promised 50% reimbursement comes through from the health
board?.  So in order to buy better hardware we have to find the money, 
then hope that we get half back but that's it, no more. 

<<I don't understand why you are stuck with it - why not get another
system?  >>  Did you really believe that we just make a case to the health
board and they give us all  the money?

<<- Gpass developments are set and prioritised by a group which includes
GP representatives, and are independent of the day to day running of
Gpass. >>
Been there, saw it, heard the complaints, nothing got done back in the
early to mid 90s.  I hope it really has changed. 
<<This development has consistently met planned (and
published) delivery dates.  >>  I am delighted to hear that but do you
realise how uncommon that actually is? Even Microsoft can't make delivery
dates these days. 
<< Literally hundreds of practice staff have been involved in the
development of the new
system. >>
Has there been input from N Ireland staff and GPs? You remember that I
criticised v4.2 for inadequate testing in consultation mode by real GPs. 

<<I am genuinely interested in hearing about what is wrong with Gpass
(both the software and the organisation), but can't do anything  about
the past. >>
Of course, nor do I expect you to but I made the point that there has been
a long history of broken promises and botched development with GPASS so
that some of us have negative expectations.   I for one would be happy to
see a decent modern system available more or less free. 

<<So what should Gpass be doing *now* to make sure that they are
delivering the systems which GPs want in the future?>> 
  Are you listening to N Ireland GPs and practice staff?
 Can you ensure that the previously-noted minimalist approach of DIS (or
DIT or whatever they call themselves these days) here in Belfast will
change? Namely the don't-touch-don't-do-anything-just-call-us approach.
Can you ensure that the new software will run on industry-standard machines
alongside---if necessary---standard commercial packages, be they WP,
spreadsheet or whatever? 
 Last year for example (not to whinge or knock people, just to illustrate)
we were being told that the GPASS software would run on very few machines, 
that they (DIT) had found only one  brand of Pentium on which it would run.
 Enter various computer-literate people from at least one health board
breathing fire and in a fairly short time the scene completely changed and
the hardware spec became much more sensible and much more generic.  Back in
1992 I was told that RM built PCs especially for GPASS and it would not run
reliably on anything else. 
From what you say it would seem that those days are at an end; I hope so. 
Still doesn't solve the problem of where I shall find the money for  6 or 7
Pentiums,  Termite or whatever it is, SCO Unix and maybe yet another set of
cabling but I appreciate that is not your department.  Then there is the
comms stuff.  Oh dear.

Best wishes anyway in your efforts
Declan


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%