NHS IT system ‘at risk’

The £6.2 million National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS is at risk, because staff feel “disengaged” in the process, a new study published in the British Medical Journal, has suggested.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said that the programme, which would provide new information and technology systems, would have “far-reaching benefits for patients and throughout the NHS”.

However, when the team investigated how well the programme was being implemented at four hospital trusts in England, they found that front-line employees felt “heavily demoralized” about the project.

Managers also told researchers that they felt there was so little communication and consultation from NPfIT headquarters that it posed a threat to getting the programme up and running.

The study claimed that there was still uncertainty amongst staff about when the systems would be implemented and what funding would be provided to support this at a local level, despite the allocation of an extra £2.3 billion for the project in 2002.

Some trusts also reported that some existing local IT systems in areas such as radiology and pathology were in urgent need of replacement, but had been put on hold as implementation of the NPfIT was phased in.

Many of those who participated in the study said they felt that local managers and challenges arising from local circumstances were not understood or ignored, leaving them feeling “disempowered” and uncertain about how to promote to staff a system without detailed information about its local application. Researchers said this was a “crucial problem”, as the implementation of NPfIT would cause considerable disruption for staff and difficult interim arrangements.

The researchers called on NPfIT headquarters to engage with managers and health professionals to implement the programme. “NPfIT’s success depends on it,” they concluded.

Commenting on the study, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Steve Webb said: "Big Government IT projects have a terrible track record, and there is a real danger that the NHS is repeating the mistakes of other departments by failing to involve front line staff right at the start.

"The people who will use this system need to be involved in designing it. They cannot be expected to use a system that doesn't meet their needs.

"The amounts of money involved are huge, and it's vital for patients and staff alike that the NHS gets this right."

(KMcA/SP)