IT funds rerouted to cut waiting lists

NHS IT is suffering as cash-strapped health trusts are forced to use technology funding to cut waiting lists, says the NHS Information Authority (NHSIA).

This year the NHS IT budget will exceed £1 billion for the first time(see Computing, 10 January).

But the short-term necessity of cutting waiting times is taking precedence over longer-term technology investments.

Trusts receive funding as a lump sum and are left to prioritise spending according to a variety of government targets.

The NHSIA wants ministers to ring-fence IT spending to be sure the money goes where it needs to, says NHSIA director of delivery Graham Folmer.

'IT this year has certainly suffered because the money was spent on clinical priorities instead.

'The pressure on trust chief executives to cut waiting lists is so extreme you can't really expect them to invest scarce resources in an IT project that won't pay off for a number of years,' said Folmer.

Less than two per cent of the UK's total health budget is for IT compared with six per cent in the US. The money just isn't enough when technology investments will improve efficiency, decision-making and clinical effectiveness by providing more information faster, says Folmer.

For the next two years the main technology focus for the health sector is the development of single health records. A doctor anywhere in the country will be able to instantly access up-to-date information about any patient.

Health information will be formatted according to a standard XML format rather than held as a static record in a data centre. The health record will then be pulled together at the point of need as a doctor sends out a query over NHSNet.