Connelly promises clarity by year end

An in-depth internal review of the National Programme for IT in the NHS has been launched by the new chief information officer for health, Christine Connelly.

E-Health Insider has learned that the objective is to formulate an action plan that can ensure the objectives of NHS IT modernisation can be delivered.

Where previous reviews have been about how to tweak plan A, there is now an acknowledgement that more far-reaching changes may be needed. There is also a willingness to look again at what had been sacred cows.

“Something has to be done. We’ve got to a position where the South has stopped, London has stopped, and they are going to have to do something,” said one source.

A clear indication of the re-think, particularly on patient record systems for hospitals, is set out in a letter from Connelly to the Financial Times. In the letter, she denies press claims that NPfIT has ground to a halt. She says there have been "a number of important successes."

However, Connelly, who took up the new post of CIO for health in September, says it is "sensible" to review the experience of the first hospitals to install strategic Care Records System software from Cerner and iSoft.

“As with any major release of software, it is sensible to review the experience of an early adopter site before rolling the system out more widely – not only to fix technical issues but also to manage the impact on working practices,” she says in the letter.

She adds: “I feel strongly that any version of the system needs to work well before we attempt to expand its use. That is why we have provided additional support to early adopter sites and will use this experience to inform future decisions.”

Connelly also says she is placing a priority on better local configuration, and retaining the ability to still share patient information between clinicians.

She promises to provide plans for a new approach by year end: “I see it as a priority to bring clarity to these issues at the earliest opportunity. I will be working with colleagues across the NHS to bring forward plans by the end of the year.”

E-Health Insider’s source said any revised approach will inevitably depend on renegotiating the two remaining local service provider contracts to deliver something workable – almost certain to be far less ambitious than originally contracted for.

But with ex-LSP Fujitsu rumoured to be pursuing a legal claim of between £350m to £750m on its LSP contract, terminated after a year of ultimately unsuccessful re-negotiations, this is not going to be easy. CfH has still to complete a similarly long-running contract re-negotiation with CSC.

The source expressed concern that a new plan for NPfIT must not throw away the achievements that have been won in many areas.