Dedicated body to develop NHS standards

The Department of Health (DoH) has set up a new body to oversee the development of technical standards to support the £5bn National Programme for NHS IT.

But suppliers say the government will need to rethink the standards-setting process if it is going to meet its timetable.

The five-year NHS plan will create a high-speed broadband infrastructure, a nationwide electronic patient record system and applications for appointments and prescriptions.

Several Local Service Providers (LSPs) will co-ordinate the work of a range of niche suppliers in a geographical area to deliver the Programme. The standards developed by the newly-created Design Authority will make sure the local solutions fit together.

'The team will focus on developing overall business and technical architectures and ensuring that individual projects comply with the vision for 21st century IT for the health service,' said a DoH spokesman.

Richard Granger, director general of NHS IT, has set a timetable for LSP contracts to be signed by the end of April so work can start in the Autumn.

But to meet the targets, the Design Authority will need to change existing methods for developing standards, says Laurence Harrison, healthcare programme manager for supplier body Intellect.

'If current methods are used there will be nowhere near enough time,' he said.