§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress to date on the Information for Health initiative. [158572]
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Key Information Management and Technology targets National percentages by date Targets 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 31 March 2005 IMT01—Desk top access to basic e-mail, browsing and directory services for all clinical and support staff in NHS trusts 25 100 — — — IMT02—Provide remaining NHS staff with access to the above — — 100 — — IMT03—Submit Address Books and produce interim centrally managed NHS Address Book 100 — — — — IMT04—Access to X500 conformant NHS Address Book directory for all connected staff — 100 — — —
§ Ms StuartInformation for Health focuses on the best use of information and Information Technology in improving health and health care and in supporting the delivery of patient centred care and services. It is also a partnership approach involving key stakeholders such as front line clinicians, professional and representative bodies and IT suppliers. By being inclusive, considerable approval and support has been gained for the strategy across the National Health Service.
The strategy was launched in September 1998 and it has had to flex to take into account major new initiatives flowing from the NHS plan and the e-Government agenda. These requirements are now fully reflected.
There are clear and defined national targets to ensure the implementation of a national information and IT infrastructure. Record levels of funding have been committed for investment in IT over a three-year period. Local plans produced in all health communities are monitored and analysed to ensure that investments will meet the target deliverables. Each local community consists of a host health authority, its constituent NHS trusts, general practitioners, other primary care contractors, local authority social services and voluntary sector organisations. All local plans produced last year were published on the Department's internet site.
The document "Building the Information Core: Implementing the NHS Plan" (www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexipu/strategy/update/) contains details of key targets to be achieved over the next four years, in order to meet the commitments contained in the NHS plan in relation to information systems. Other related targets around national service priorities will emerge in due course. Collectively they give the immediate Information Management and Technology priorities which Local Implementation Strategy (LIS) communities need to address to provide the NHS-wide core applications and services. These fundamental targets are listed in the table.
The targets stretch to 2005 but progress on intermediate milestones has been strong. All GPs will be connected to NHSnet by March 2001 which will speed up and improve communications for test results, appointment booking and other patient centred information flows. NHS Direct services now cover the whole population of England.
In addition to local implementation major development programmes are in place across the NHS. The National Booked Admission Programme pilots have now been running for 12 months and the Electronic Record Development and Implementation Programme (ERDIP) will provide essential lessons for national implementation of electronic patient and health records.
Progress so far has been strong and we will maintain the effort to ensure that we fully realise the opportunities now unfolding to support a patient focused and modern NHS.
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Key Information Management and Technology targets National percentages by date Targets 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 31 March 2005 IMT05—GP Practices to be computerised 98 100 — — — IMT06—GP Practices with NHSnet Connection 95 100 — — — IMT07—GP Practices with local area networks connected to NHSnet eg desktop access 90 100 — — — IMT08—Online public information on availability of NHS services 100 — — — — IMT09—Acute electronic patient record (EPR) level 3 10 35 — 75 100 IMTIO—Integrated primary and community EPR — — 25 50 100 IMT11—Emergency care electronic health record — — — — 100 IMT12—All bookings from GPs to out-patients or from out-patients to day-case or in-patients to be made electronically — — — — 100 IMTI3—Electronic transfer of all haematology and microbiology test results — 60 — — — IMT14—Electronic transfer of all radiology reports and discharge summaries between hospital and GPs — — 100 — — IMT15—All NHS pathology laboratories to be connected to NHSnet 100 — — — — IMT16—All pathology results sent to GPs to contain NHS number — 100 — — — IMT17—All electronic communications about patients to include their NHS number verified by NHS numbers strategic tracing service — — 100 — — IMT18—Online access to national codes for GPs and consultants 100 — — — — IMT19—National NHS payroll and integrated human resources system — — — 100 — IMT20—All out-patient data set to he transmitted through NHSwide clearing service — 100 — — — IMT21—LIS update 100 — — — — 1MT22—Integration of information strategies to support National Service Framework topics into LIS development within six months of the publication of the relevant strategy — 100 — — — IMT23—Application of working in partnership toolkit — 100 — — — IMT24—Production of local education, training and development strategies 100 — — — — Note:
The final analysis of the quantitative targets and qualitative scoring of all LIS against 10 critical progress markers will be completed by mid June 2001.