NHS IT pros call for simple systems

12:39 8th October 2008

An association of IT professionals in the NHS has called for the health service to adopt "simple systems" which can be configured locally.

Assist, which represents 1,800 public sector technology employees, advised the government against installing more sophisticated systems which it claims brings rigidity to the NHS.

However, the government plans to ignore these concerns in the implementation of the £12.7 billion National Programme for IT, which will roll-out progressively more complicated standardised systems at trusts across the country.

In a paper submitted to the Independent Review Group, Assist suggests that a "one-size-fits-all approach does not work" and that the NHS should "focus on the basics before trying the ambitious".

The Association's members also raised concerns about the bad publicity regarding NHS IT, which they say has enjoyed some "stunning successes" over the past ten years.

In September, a number of Labour politicians, speaking at the party's annual conference, admitted that they have run into considerable problems with major IT programmes over the past ten years.