Government dismisses NHS IT accusations

Health minister says National Programme is on-track

Accusations that the NHS is facing an £8.8bn overspend on its national IT system, have been dismissed by Health Minister Andy Burnham.

He described the £6.2bn National Programme as 'a major investment' but said: 'In contrast to NHS projects of the past, payment will be made only when the project is delivered.'

'A key aspect of the way in which the programme is working is that the NHS pays only when the service has been delivered,' he told MPs in the Commons.

Burnham said more than a million electronic presecriptions have been issued using the new system and 325,000 hospital appointments have been booked electronically.

Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron had previously called for 'a full, independent, technical and financial audit of the project to ensure that public money is spent on the public's priorities.'

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