Thread: I'm an IT manager in a GP surgery. I've been involved in multiple borough wide IT projects across London. I've worked in Primary care for a decade.This is absolutely the worst idea I've heard in a long time. It sounds like nothing more than more plundering the NHS
GPs don't have outdated or frustrating technology. We don’t need new IT systems. We need existing systems to be better integrated with other healthcare provider systems. The NHS has been working on this for a decade and we’re almost there.
Every time a new IT package is introduced it has be run smoothly with dozens of other packages across GP practices, Hospitals, Pharmacies, District Nurses, Care homes and others. If it doesn’t it can cause all sorts of problems for patient care.
Medical records can be lost, prescriptions, test results and referrals never reach their destination. It can mean confidential data being leaked and ending up in the hands of people never intended to see it.
Our current software, packages like EMIS, Vision, System One and Docman are already constantly updating and innovating. They partner with other firms to produce new products all the time. The last thing primary care needs is further disruption.
More systems mean staff having to learn new packages. IT support go from having to be good at a handful of packages to dozens, increasing training costs and the decreasing the chance of any one individual being able to fix a problem leading to more problems and delays.
GPs are happy with the software we have. We’ve spent a decade learning it and getting very good at it. I can’t imagine any GP surgeries have been consulted about this. I’m confident that none of them would think it’s a good idea unless they have IT start ups.
This can only be driven by free market ideology not the needs of the NHS, clinicians, or patients. The only winners will be shareholders. The losers will be NHS staff and patients
Given that the problems they say they want to solve are already being fixed what are their practical proposals? itv.com/news/2018-12-2…
