NPfIT to review approach to stakeholder engagement

As part of this new approach the national programme is to create a new Front Line Support Academy to help NHS leaders with new technology.

The announcements came on Friday, a day after the FT had reported that Professor Peter Hutton, until April chairman of the National Clinical Advisory Board, had criticised the national programme’s approach to clinical engagement and expressed concerns about key aspects of the implementation of the NHS IT modernisation programme.

According to the DH the first students are already booked to begin tuition at the new Academy in mid-May.  The Academy will include simulators which will mock-up realistic environments like hospital wards and GPs’ surgeries and where clinicians will learn how best to use new systems with actors playing the role of patients.

Apparently referring to the criticisms of Professor Hutton last week, health minister John Hutton said, "a programme of this scale and complexity will have issues to deal with as its work unfolds", he said that now systems had been procured the most important thing was engage and build trust with a wide range of stakeholders.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and joint Director General of the national programme, Professor Aidan Halligan said the implementation phase had now been reached:  "We are, if you like, in the departure lounge ready for the next part of the journey. We know that our work will only succeed with the support of the medical community and patients alike.

Professor Halligan said he was committed to "broader and deeper dialogue", and would be meeting and talking with people, inside and outside the health service, beginning with a tour of frontline trusts over the next month.

Director General of NHS IT, Richard Granger said: “We want to build on our early work and further strengthen the integration of technology into core clinical practice. Aidan’s appointment, style and ideas for the next phase of the programme are most welcome