NHS IT body sets out strategy
Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the £6bn National Programme for NHS IT, has published its business plan for 2005/6.
It includes interim targets for the rollout of services such as electronic bookings and prescriptions, and an outline of ‘core values’, including focusing on delivery and emphasising professional competence.
LogicaCMG wins Galileo work
IT services company LogicaCMG has been appointed to design a prototype service centre for Europe’s ¤3.2bn (£2.2bn) Galileo satellite navigation system. The service centre will act as an interface for the satellite navigation system, linking user devices with commercial service applications, such as road pricing, location-based traffic updates and local shopping promotions.
Members benefit at Lord’s
Marylebone Cricket Club, owner of Lord’s cricket ground, is to install a membership system to improve communication with its members and candidates. Vendor Integra will provide its Membership Relationship Management system and a Finance and Email Tracker. The systems will be integrated with internal applications.
Online council services on track
Jim Fitzpatrick, the minister for local egovernment, says all local authorities in England are on course to be 100 per cent e-enabled by the end of the year. ‘The programme has overseen a sea change in the electronic enablement of council services from just 26 per cent in March 2002 to 77 per cent in March 2005,’ he said. A recent government report suggests annual efficiency gains realised from the programme could be as much as £850m by 2008.
Travellers cool on hotspots
A survey of more than 2,000 business travellers has found less than one in five from the UK make use of wireless hotspots in transit and inside transport terminals, despite growing availability. Analyst Gartner says educational, cultural and financial reasons, rather than a lack of technical know-how, is hindering take-up.