Doctors "demoralised" by £6.2bn NHS IT scheme

Frontline health service staff are "heavily demoralised" over the lack of information and communication around the £6.2bn NHS IT modernisation programme.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) claim the situation is so serious that the whole Connecting for Health programme (formerly known as the National Programme for IT) is at risk because it is falling behind schedule in key areas.

The research team looked at four hospital trusts in England and, in the first part of what will be an ongoing study, talked to 23 managers and doctors involved in the implementation of the new NHS IT systems.

Although the new IT systems are centrally funded under the Connecting for Health programme, the research found NHS managers are still concerned about where the money will come from for staff training and to accommodate changes in the way the NHS will have to work once the new system is up and running.

Doctors are also concerned that previously scheduled upgrades to creaking radiology or pathology systems have been put on hold while funds are diverted to installing the new patient record system in every NHS trust.

LSHTM health policy researcher Dr Naomi Fulop warned there is a risk of current systems failing before the new one is ready.

"We are not saying the introduction of a new system is not a good thing - it is and it will take the NHS forward. [But] unless these concerns are addressed, there will be delays in implementation and a less than optimal use of the new system when it is finally introduced. And that will be a bad thing for all concerned," she said in the report.

A statement for Connecting for Health said that a major communications exercise with frontline NHS staff is about to kick off in September.

It said: "We recognise the importance of communicating at the right time in advance of IT systems and services being implemented in NHS organisations. We are working hard with NHS colleagues to do this. This will inform and educate both NHS staff and the public about the changes and benefits that the new technologies will bring."