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Updating computer systems under Connecting for Health is, for the first time, demanding more than a quarter of the Health Service’s total budget for major projects. NHS spending on IT as a proportion of its total annual capital expenditure has almost trebled from 9% in 2003-04 to 25.26% in 2006-07, the last years which data are available. Although the wad of NHS cash devoted to upgrading its computers piled up only marginally since 2005, it shot up by nearly 10% in the previous 12 months. The official figures were released by the government’s health secretary Ben Bradshaw, in response to a parliamentary question from Tory MP Stephen O’Brien. Mr Bradshaw told MPs: “The department has not made an estimate of expenditure on NHS IT in the absence of a national programme”. “But an independent review” he said, has “confirmed that the likely costs of each NHS trust undertaking procurements for IT solutions would cost £4.5 billion more.” He pointed out that total spending specifically on NHS IT, as a percentage of NHS expenditure, surpassed one-fifth in 2004-05, and exceeded one-quarter last year. Running costs of NHS IT are also up from 2% to 2.7%. Senior health officials will today attempt to account for the problems and delays confronting Connecting for Health, the world’s biggest civilian IT programme. MPs on the Public Accounts Committee will fire their questions knowing the full deployment of an electronic care records system is running at least four years late. Although all hospitals in England were meant to roll out the systems in 2006, only 34 out of 169 have them installed, and of these 21 have older now outdated versions. The MPs may also ask health officials about the NHS losing millions of pounds each year through the theft of medical equipment and computers. A Freedom of Information response to More4News this month revealed over 500 laptops and computers have been stolen from trusts in the last three years. Jun 16, 2008 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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