GPs face limits on third party add-ons

GPs in some parts of England claim they are facing unworkable restrictions on the kind of third party IT they can use in their practices under the GP Systems of Choice PCT-practice agreement.

The PCT-practice agreement states that practices must get the PCT’s permission to use additional hardware or software. It also says that if hardware or software is installed without PCT approval the practice will be responsible for the costs of any subsequent problems.

However Dr Charlie Stuart-Buttle, chairman of the EMIS National User Group, said he had been approached by several GPs facing problems over what was allowable.

He told EHI Primary Care: “PCTs seem to be taking different approaches in different areas. Some of them are quite laidback but others are coming up with quite long lists of what they are banning.”

Dr Alan Ferris, a GP in Hertfordshire, claims the list of acceptable hardware and software from his PCT is unnecessarily restrictive.

He said: “The reason given for much of the banned software is that it ‘compromises support with the IT support organisation’ which seems outrageous to me. Either the IT organisation is there to support general practice or the new meaning of ‘support’ is now ‘dictate to’.

Dr Ferris said the restrictions included use of Google and Yahoo toolbars and the Firefox browser.

He added: “It also means that in my case I can’t use Nokia’s software to synchronise the calendar on Outlook with my mobile phone and nor can I go out and buy a digital camera to take clinical pictures.”

Dr Stuart-Buttle said the lists of acceptable software and hardware were negotiable and that practices should go back and talk to their PCTs, preferably with the support of their LMC.

He added: “For PCTs to give the reason that this will make more work for us is nonsense. They key word in service level agreement is service and PCTs should be providing a service to practices.”

Guidance on the PCT-practice agreement issued by Connecting for Health and backed by the GPC states that PCTs are expected to act reasonably and take account of the list of third party software approved by the GP clinical IT system supplier when they make decisions.