Epic makes break into UK
EHI has exclusively revealed that Epic has won Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s electronic patient record procurement, beating Cerner and Allscripts in the final stages of the tender. Hewlett Packard has won the hardware and infrastructure part of the tender.
Tablet roll out begins for health workers at Blackpool trust
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has begun the roll out of tablet devices to hundreds of clinicians. The first tablets will be given to community services staff and then be rolled out to a further 400 workers including district nurses and then its remaining 500 clinicians.
Allscripts gets first UK EPR contract
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has become the first trust in the UK to award a five-year contract to Allscripts Healthcare for the implementation of an electronic patient record. EHI reports that the trust will be deploying a number of modules from the US company, including e-referrals, a patient portal, clinical portal and various ward management tools.
Lansley: CCG allocations should be based on age, not poverty
Health secretary Mr Lansley has suggested CCG funding should take into account the age of a population rather than indices of deprivation, arguing age is the “principal determinant of health need” in an area. From next year CCG budgets will be decided by the NHS Commissioning Board with guidance from the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation reports HSJ (subscription required).
NHS reforms could put children’s health at risk, warn managers
The Guardian has reported on the deep unease and confusion around structural reforms in respect of child health. The health of vulnerable children could be in jeopardy if service responsibility in the future is divided up among multiple organisations that are accountable for the care and safety of children with complex needs.
News from the CCG Leaders Conference
EHI reported the news that the chair of the NHS Commissioning Board links best use of information systems to CCG success, in particular to help tackle variations in primary care. Meanwhile, GP Online reports from the conference that Lansley has promised CCG leaders autonomy but asked for accountability for results and performance within budget in return.
Cerner in Bristol over budget, while System C delivers!
Campaign4Change has controversially reported on the £2m overspend at North Bristol NHS Trust for its Cerner implementation, while a local charity linked to the trust has raised £20,000 to buy 10 cardiac monitors. EHI however, reports on the success of the neighbouring University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and its successful go-live of System C’s PAS and EPR!
Drug company Novartis taking PCT cluster to court
Pharmaceutical company, Novartis is taking the Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth (SHIP) cluster to court over its decision to encourage the use of a cheaper, unlicensed drug known as Avastin for the treatment of eye disease AMD reports PharmaTimes.
New effort by Lane Fox to close the UK’s digital divide
Public Technology reports on the further attempt to bridge the digital divide and e-skill up the UK. As a result the official ‘UK Digital Champion’ Martha Lane Fox is to spearhead Go ON UK, a cross-sector partnership set up to bring the benefits of the internet “to every individual and every organisation in every community across the UK”.
Opinion
Whether you love it or hate it, information sharing is here to stay
“As technology has increasingly facilitated the treatment of patients and the provision of social care, concern has grown on the part of those who have entrusted their personal data to professionals, and also amongst those professionals, that the confidentiality of that data is insufficiently safeguarded. Does the data remain securely with those who the subject agreed could use it for their care, and only with them? To what extent do the public and our patients understand the uses to which their data are put that are not directly related to their treatment and support?”
In this article written for Pulse, Dame Fiona Caldicott, the chair of the National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care, looks at these issues and explains her role in the review of Information Governance that the Secretary of State for Health has asked her to conduct.
She also urges everyone to participate actively in this review, so that care is improved, as well as patients’ experience. The plan is for the report to be produced later this year and you can contact Fiona.caldicott@dh.gsi.gov.uk with suggestions.
The King’s Fund releases its vision, mission and values
As part of its strategic review in 2011 – and taking the current reforms and productivity challenges facing the NHS into account – The King’s Fund has refocused its vision, mission and values.
To find out how it plans to continue with its contribution to improving health and social care in England read The King’s Fund strategic plan for 2012-14.
Highland Marketing blog
This week Jeremy Nettle explores the controversial subject of telehealth and the Department of Health’s failure to release information on ‘how it could save the NHS £1.2bn’.
