HC Deb 21 January 1999 vol 323 cc518-21W
Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which NHS trusts and health boards are currently connected to the NHSnet; when he expects every NHS trust and health board to have a link to the NHSnet; what future resources will be required to(a) complete and (b) support this service; and what resources have been allocated to this project (i) this year and (ii) in each of the next three financial years. [65762]

Mr. Galbraith

All Health Boards and NHS Trusts will be linked to NHSnet by 31 March 1999. The current position of Health Boards and NHS Trusts is set out in the table. Resources allocated to this project in this year are £6 million. The ongoing costs of supporting these links will be met by the Health Boards and Trusts.

Board/NHS trusts Linkage complete Linkage planned by 31 March 1999
Ayrshire and Arran Health Board Yes
Ayrshire and Arran Community Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust Yes
South Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust Yes
Borders Health Board Yes
Borders Community Health Services NHS Trust Yes
Borders General Hospital NHS Trust Yes
Dumfries and Galloway Health Board Yes
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Dumfries and Galloway Community Health Services NHS Trust Yes
Fife Health Board Yes
Fife Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Kirkcaldy Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust Yes
Forth Valley Health Board Yes
Central Scotland Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary NHS Trust Yes
Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust Yes
Grampian Health Board Yes
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Moray Health Services NHS Trust Yes
Greater Glasgow Health Board Yes
Glasgow Dental Hospital and School NHS Trust Yes
Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust Yes
Greater Glasgow Community and Mental Health NHS Trust Yes
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust Yes
Stobhill NHS Trust Yes
Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust Yes
West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust Yes
The Yorkhill NHS Trust Yes
Highland Health Board Yes
Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust Yes
Highland Communities NHS Trust Yes
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust Yes
Lanarkshire Health Board Yes
Hairmyres and Stonehouse Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Lanarkshire Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Law Hospital NHS Trust Yes
Monklands and Bellshill Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Lothian Health Yes
East and Midlothian NHS Trust Yes
Edinburgh Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Edinburgh Sick Children's NHS Trust Yes
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust Yes
West Lothian NHS Trust Yes
Western General Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Orkney Health Board Yes
Orkney Health Unit Yes
Shetland Health Board Yes
Shetland Hospitals and Community Services Unit Yes
Tayside Health Board Yes
Angus NHS Trust Yes
Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Yes
Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust Yes
Western Isles Health Board Yes

Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if full use of the NHSnet requires(a) GP practices and (b) NHS trusts connected to the NHSnet to have compatible software and hardware; and which companies have supplied the hardware and software for the project. [65763]

Mr. Galbraith

NHSnet provides a UK-wide secure private telecommunications network for NHS Organisations across the UK under contracts with BT, BT Syntegra and Cable and Wireless. Connection to NHSnet is achieved by connecting to a Service Access Point on the NHSnet. NHS organisations can either connect directly to an NHSnet Service Access Point or indirectly if they are already linked to a network, e.g. a private Health Board wide network, with a gateway connection to NHSnet. All networks (whether single GP Practices or Board level private networks) connecting to NHSnet must conform to the NHSnet Code of Connection which maintains the security and integrity of NHSnet.

Full use of NHSnet requires each GP Practice and NHS Trust (or the local network to which they belong) to meet published standards for NHSnet which comply with the Internet suite protocols (IP). GP Practices and NHS Trusts must therefore have systems which are compatible with NHSnet (but not necessarily the same as each other). A variety of suppliers will have supplied parts of the overall network; details of these are not held centrally.

Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects all GP practices in Scotland to have a link to the NHSnet; what resources have been allocated to this project(a) this year and (b) in each of the next three financial years; what resources will be required to (i) complete and (ii) support this service; and what is the estimated cost saving over the next five years. [65760]

Mr. Galbraith

97 per cent. of GP practices are already connected and the remaining practices which asked to participate will be linked by March 1999. The total cost of this project was £7 million of which £0.415 million was spent in 1998–99. Resources required for ongoing support of the installed systems and NHSnet connections will be met through the usual arrangements between Health Boards and GPs for reimbursement of expenses.

It is difficult at this stage to estimate the cost saving when the system is fully utilised. The main objective is to improve patient care through ensuring that clinicians have access to the information they need to care for patients wherever they are in the NHSiS. The benefits expected when the full infrastructure is put into place also include savings in costs and reductions in the bureaucracy of sending an estimated 10 million paper forms around the system each year, saving in staff time, and improved convenience for patients.

Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of GP practices are currently connected to the NHSnet. [65761]

Mr. Galbraith

My most recent information is that 1,040 GP Practices are now connected to the NHSnet. This represents 97 per cent. of all practices in Scotland. Of the remaining 34 practices, 4 practices did not ask to participate and the remainder will be linked by March.

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