§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce measures to ensure the centralised collection of information on medicines dispensed in hospitals. [87857]
§ Mr. Denham"Information for Health", published in September 1998, provides the strategic direction for the development of information and Information Technology in the National Health Service to 2005. This charges Local Health Communities with developing Local Implementation Strategies for Information that indicate how the national objectives will be achieved. Part of the Local Implementation Strategy will be to show how all acute trusts will be able to achieve adequate Electronic Patient Record Systems by 2005. This includes the electronic ordering and record of supply of medicines. Providing the necessary piloting work is supportive, information about medicines dispensed in hospitals will then be capable of transmission over the NHSnet to support central analyses, as required.