§ Mr. RuffleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to begin further consortia procurement programmes for IT systems in the NHS before the post-implementation review of the South West Procurement Programme has bee n completed and published. [153096]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 9 March 2001]: As indicated in the National Health Service information management and technology procurement review (published by the NHS Executive in June 2000), the South Western regional procurement programme needs to have been judged as successful by means of a post-implementation review before this approach can be recommended nationally.
In the meantime, however, individual trusts outside South Western region may use a consortium approach to procurement if they wish to do so, and some trusts are doing so at present.