'Computer Weekly' of 13 August has an Editorial entitled 'Time to call
the NHS to Account'. I and many others have been saying what is in
that article for years.
I am unable to quote the entire article for reasons of copyright, but
here are the main points:
- It makes the analogy of the NHS IT projects being run like a
dictatorship from the developing world
- "dictators build for themselves fortresses of secrecy that make them
accountable to no one"
- "..when things go wrong, they do not care because they do not have
to care. They have nothing to fear."
- " In the past 10 years the NHS E has lost millions of pounds on
failed IT systems and they do not seem to care"
- The editorial goes on to talk about the report by the Public
Accounts Cmte of another failed national IT project costing 32 million
(Read Codes)
- That report highlights the blundering management style which has not
changed since the NHS E lost tens of millions on its Hospital
Information Support initiative and the 63 million lost by Wessex RHA
- The article laments the fact that when the NHS E is criticised by
what it regards as *outsiders* like *doctors*, it behaves like a
developing world dictator who is attacked by the UN. The dictator
denies his culpability and claims that the UN does not know what it is
talking about (!) and the dictator carries on as before.
- The article accuses the NHS E of carrying on as before by tinkering
with procedures and practices that does not change anything
- The closing remark of the article goes like this:
" From failures such as the resource accounting project to Wessex, to
Hospital Information Support, and now the Read Codes, the NHS Executive
has shown that it is not capable of handling public money when it comes
to IT projects."
---------------------------
I would add NHSnet to that list of failures that cost millions of
pounds, about to be ditched because it has become indefensible and
still, no body seems to care.
"We the People" demand a new era.
Ahmad
________________________________________
Dr Ahmad Risk
http://mednetics.org
home: +44 1273 748198
work: +44 1737 240022
fax: +44 1737 244660
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|