NHS Choose and Book contract extended

Atos Origin will continue to run electronic appointment booking service

Half of patients now book appointments through Choose and Book

The Department of Health has signed a two-year contract with Atos Origin for the IT services firm to continue to run its electronic appointment booking system Choose and Book.

Atos Origin designed, and software provider Cerner developed, the service which gives patients a choice of place, date and time for their first outpatient appointment in a hospital or clinic.

The Department of Health said the service has been a success, with more than 50 per cent of all referrals now being handled by the new system.

But according to research by the British Medical Association last month, GPs found that the system still has issues with reliability and slowness, while recent research at University Hospital Lewisham found that the system meant patients were less likely to attend appointments.

The contract extension announced today extends the initial five-year contract signed in 2003.