NHS IT suffering UK-wide delays

The £6bn NHS national IT programme is facing implementation delays in all five regions.

Difficulties are to be expected with such a large and complex programme. But Computing has learned that some delays are due to issues with basic technology.

'This is a complex programme and we should expect teething problems, but this is bog-standard business technology, such as storage area networks and processing power,' said a senior source. 'This is simple stuff, but they just can't get it to work.'

The programme, recently re-named NHS Connecting for Health (CfH), is developing national systems for ebookings, prescriptions and patient records, and upgrading local technology to link to the central applications.

The first major local system on the timetable is the patient administration system (Pas), but suppliers in all five areas are having trouble meeting schedules.

CfH has acknowledged delays in four of the regions, but Computing can reveal that there are also problems in the fifth area, the North West and West Midlands (NWWM).

NHS sources say fewer than 300 users in the NWWM area are using Pas systems, out of tens of thousands of potential users.

Even at such an early stage this number is significantly below predictions, and is too low to test the scalability and functionality of the new technology.

Most trusts in the NWWM area have put back their Pas implementation dates, and those that have not are unlikely to meet them. The first major acute hospital is due to go live with Pas next month, but the implementation is already eight weeks late.

However, CfH says that the implementation delays are not significant in a programme of this size and complexity.

North Bristol Trust IT director Martin Bell says part of the problem is that the original timescales were impractical.

'The biggest issue is that things which were never going to be achieved are now not being achieved,' he said.