Calls for independent review of NHS IT system

A group of computer science experts have today called for an independent review of the NHS's £6 million computer system upgrade.

In an open letter to the health select committee, the 23 academics warn that an assessment of the scheme's "basic technical viability" is needed to dampen fears about its reliability and safety without delay.

The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) is designed to connect more than 100,000 doctors, 300,000 nurses and 50,000 other health professionals to patients across the NHS over the next ten years.

It includes plans to give all patients an electronic medical record; a new system to allow patients to 'choose and book' appointments electronically; the electronic transfer of prescriptions; and a nationwide system of IT, broadband and email for NHS staff.

However, there have been delays and concerns about both the ability of the new system to cope with the number of users, and its safety, with some GPs complaining that patient records could be accessed too easily.

Today's letter raises these questions of usability, patient confidentiality and reliability, and says: "As computer scientists, engineers and informaticians, we question the wisdom of continuing NPfIT without an independent assessment of its basic technical viability."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the programme was already under "constant review, scrutiny and audit by parliament and government bodies", insisting it was a "robust and resilient" programme of healthcare IT delivery.

"We remain confident that the technical architecture of the national programme is appropriate and will enable benefits to be delivered for patients, while ensuring value for money to the taxpayer," she said.

However, the programme has been dogged by controversy – last month, the agency responsible admitted "initial teething problems" that "regrettabl[y] caused inconvenience" at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, when patients were "lost in the system".

The centre in Oxford also reported "major operational difficulties" including a backlog of appointments, but Connecting for Health insisted there had been "no adverse impact on patient safety".

And in February, GPs in Nottinghamshire warned the new choose and book system was accessible to too many NHS staff, prompting Connecting for Health to issue a statement insisting that patient safety and protecting confidential data was an "utmost priority".

However, today's letter calls for the health select committee to "help resolve uncertainty about NPfIT by asking the government to commission an independent technical assessment with all possible speed".

It adds: "The assessment would cost a tiny proportion of the proposed minimum £6 billion spend on NPfIT and could save many times its cost."