NHS suppliers must build on existing IT

NHS National Programme contractors will have to build on, rather than replace existing successful local IT projects, reveal documents leaked to Computing.

The Integrated Care Records Service (ICRS) specification explains how the Department of Health intends to deliver the ambitious patient record system at the heart of its £2.3bn plan for NHS IT.

Importantly, it outlines a strategy for avoiding already well-publicised clashes between local and national models, and many experts in the field believe it should be revealed publicly.

The ICRS specification goes some way to addressing concerns about how far centrally-led initiatives will railroad local IT programmes.

'LSPs shall ensure that future developments aim to protect previous investment in infrastructure and equipment,' says the document.

It also emphasises the close partnership between LSPs and the National Application Service Providers (Nasps) responsible for maintaining central systems such as the master patient index and the data spine underpinning nationwide access to ICRS.

This relationship will be the key to the success of the National Programme, says Laurence Harrison, healthcare programme manager for supplier trade body Intellect.

'If LSPs are going to change a system locally they have to work with the Nasps and the other LSPs to ensure it fits in with wider requirements.

'That is a huge job and the partnership between the companies delivering it will be absolutely vital,' he said.

The specification needs to be made public to allay concerns about how ICRS is to be delivered.

'I hope the specification will be made public because it would take away a lot of the secrecy and uncertainty about what is being asked for,' said Harrison.

North Bristol NHS Trust IT director Martin Bell said: 'The documents needs to be made public and then the people at the centre, in the National Programme office and the Design Authority, need to go out and involve and engage communities across the country.'