Lessons from the NHS National Programme for IT

Coiera, Enrico W

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb00774.x

Topics

A program of this size is bound to experience challenges

The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom is undertaking the world’s largest civil information technology (IT) project,1 committing £12.4 billion over 10 years to improve services and quality of patient care through the strategic use of IT.1 The size of this commitment makes the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT), delivered by the NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) agency, of major international importance.

Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: e.coiera@unsw.edu.au

1. Brennan S. NHS IT project: the biggest computer programme in the world . . . ever! Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press, 2005.
2. Ungoed-Thomas J, Rogers L. Focus: anatomy of a £15bn gamble. The Sunday Times 2006; 16 Apr. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2136718,00.html (accessed Nov 2006).
3. UK National Audit Office. Department of Health. The national programme for IT in the NHS. London: The Stationery Office, 2006: 60. http://www.e-health-insider.com/tc_domainsBin/Document_Library0282/NPfIT_NAO_report_16-06-06.pdf (accessed Nov 2005).
4. Cross M. Keeping the NHS electronic spine on track. BMJ 2006; 332: 656-658.
5. Troubled iSoft hit by £344m loss. BBC News 2006; 25 Aug. BBC Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5284388.stm (accessed Nov 2006).
6. Coiera EW, Westbrook JI. Should clinical software be regulated [editorial]? Med J Aust 2006; 184: 600-601. <MJA full text>
7. Baker M, Harrison I, Gray M, et al. Safer IT in a safer NHS: account of a partnership. Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23: 11-14.
8. Woodhouse T. 21st century IT — can we deliver it? Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2003; 20: 24-26.
9. Hendy J, Reeves BC, Fulop N, et al. Challenges to implementing the national programme for information technology (NPfIT): a qualitative study. BMJ 2005; 331: 331-336.
10. Coiera E, Clarke R. e-Consent: the design and implementation of consumer consent mechanisms in an electronic environment. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2004; 11: 129-140.

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.