Outdated and frustrating IT systems in GP practices will be
replaced with modern technology under widespread changes
announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary.
The GP IT Futures framework will create an open, competitive
market to encourage the best technology companies to invest in
the NHS. All systems will be required to meet minimum standards
to ensure they can talk to each other across boundaries.
The current market is dominated by 2 main providers, which slows
down innovation and traps GP practices in long-term contracts
with systems that are not suited to the digital age.
The framework will look at how patient data will be moved to
modern cloud services to allow clinicians and patients to
securely access crucial, life-saving information in real time.
By 2023 to 2024 we want every patient in England to be able to
access GP services digitally, with practices able to offer online
or video consultations.
The changes will free up staff time and reduce delays by allowing
seamless, digitised flows of information between GP practices,
hospitals and social care settings. It builds on Health and
Social Care Secretary ’s tech vision for the
NHS.
The new standards, developed by NHS Digital, will introduce
minimum technical requirements so systems can talk to each other
securely and are continuously upgradable.
Any system that does not meet these standards will not be used by
the NHS and the government will look to end contracts with
providers that do not understand these principles for the health
and care sector.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
Too often the IT used by GPs in the NHS – like other NHS
technology – is out of date. It frustrates staff and patients
alike, and doesn’t work well with other NHS systems. This must
change.
I love the NHS and want to build it to be the most advanced
health and care system in the world – so we have to develop a
culture of enterprise in the health service to allow the best
technology to flourish.
I want to empower the country’s best minds to develop new
solutions to make things better for patients, make things
better for staff, and make our NHS the very best it can be.
Sarah Wilkinson, Chief Executive at NHS Digital, said:
The next generation of IT services for primary care must give
more patients easy access to all key aspects of their medical
record and provide the highest quality technology for use by
GPs. They must also comply with our technology standards to
ensure that we can integrate patient records across primary
care, secondary care and social care.
In addition, we intend to strengthen quality controls and
service standards, and dramatically improve the ease with which
GPs can migrate from one supplier to another.
We are committed to working with existing and new suppliers to
deliver these extended capabilities for the benefit of GPs and
patients. We’re very excited about the huge opportunities that
will arise from improving the sophistication and quality of
these services.
