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By Nick Heath, 23 June 2009 14:45

NEWS

In a series of gateway reviews published between 2002 and 2007, and released to the public for the first time last week, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) set out the difficulties that have faced the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

Of the 31 reviews into different aspects of the programme, nine were given a 'red' status indicating immediate action on the project was needed.

Below are the findings of the most recent of the 31 reviews and what progress has been made since their publication.

Care Records Service

The NHS Care Records Service (CRS) is aimed at providing doctors with instant electronic access to patients' medical records, cutting off the paper trail that sees medical professionals searching out documents stored where the patient was last treated.

Each electronic medical record available on the system, known as a summary care record, will be formed from information held in a number of places, automatically brought together when needed. A summary of the record will be held on a national database called the Spine so that vital information - including the patient's name, address, date of birth, allergies and A&E visits - can always be accessed by medical personnel.

A 2005 review rated the London rollout of the project as red, saying that delivery of the CRS had been a "major disappointment" due to "poor performance" by supplier BT.

It said there was no plan for the delivery of CRS to "meet the urgent needs of acute [hospital] trusts" and revealed the programme was 12 months behind schedule at the time the review was published.

It added that a focus on trying to create a "common solution" between trusts in London and Southern England had led to a "focus on IT at the expense of strong engagement with the customer", in this case, frontline health staff.

The 2005 review into the North West and West Midlands rollout also rated the deployment as red, saying the programme had been "beset by poor product quality, delays and repeated changes to delivery schedules".

"These, along with the limited additional functionality offered by its available range of products, have created frustration and sapped the confidence of the health community.

"Stakeholders perceive that the supplier has performed poorly to date and have little confidence of a stronger performance in the immediate future," it added.

"Even the latest short-term plan, detailing deployments into early 2006 is not yet stable and still subject to frequent adjustment and change."

The 2005 review into the North East deployment rated the project as amber, meaning recommendations made in the review should be acted upon before the time of the next OGC review, saying: "Due largely to delays in national elements of the programme (particularly the Spine) the Cluster [the North East area] programme itself has slipped significantly (by some 9 to 12 months) and many of the rollouts planned during 2005 will be of limited functionality."

"Looking ahead the programme undoubtedly faces some major challenges, particularly the rapid increase in the rate of planned deliveries (which will put immense pressure on all parties) and the need to manage the intensive schedule in the face of continuing uncertainty surrounding some of the national elements."

The East and East Midlands 2005 review classified the project as amber, adding that relationships with the then supplier Accenture appeared "robust and capable of delivering future success".

It said delays to the deployment of the Spine central database "curtailed the scope and functionality of the systems delivered" and that the original go-live date had slipped by seven months.

It warned that given the size and complexity of the project that it remains "exposed to major risks".

To find out how the CRS is performing today, click here to read page two