§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the transfer of NHS records to an electronic system will be funded. [135630]
1130W
§ Mr. HuttonThe integrated care records service (ICRS) is one element of the national programme for information technology (NpfIT) in the National Health Service. Central funding for the NPfIT in the NHS is to be made available from the Spending Review 2002 as follows—£370 million in 2003–04, £730 million in 2004–05 and £1.2 billion in 2005£06.
The costs for the ICRS are being calculated as part of the ongoing procurement and financial management processes within the Spending Review 2002 envelope.
Exact costs are subject to current procurement negotiations. Due to commercial confidentiality and sensitivity it would not be in the public interest to reveal the details of the negotiations and the potential costs.
The content of the ICRS databases will be generated initially from information already held within NHS systems. This process will be undertaken by local service providers as part of the initial implementation phase during 2004. Over the course of time, the ICRS will build up a summary of relevant health episodes for patients.
The ICRS is not about re-entering all of the historical data held on existing systems or paper records but about improving patient care through the capture, use and availability of accurate and up-to-date quality data.