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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I am a volunteer member of the local NHS hospital trust up here in sunny Wigan-sur-la-mer. It involves attending various meetings and offering any advice we can. I was at one a few weeks ago where the CEO set out a modernisation plan that looked quite comprehensive. Looks like he knows what he wants to do if the government will let him. I had a quick chat with him after the meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>It turns out that he’s an old skool Linux and BSD hacker. He would like to make more use of open-source software. Of course he doesn’t have freedom to kick MS into touch but would be willing and able to investigate what could be done. I’ve let the idea fester in the back of my brain for a while and I’ve come up with some ideas. On the basis of ‘go large or go home’ I’ve put together the outline of an ambitious plan and I’d like your thoughts on it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The NHS is the largest employer in Europe. It has more autonomy than other government departments and in the main it’s run by people who know what they are doing. But the current government is piling on a lot of pressure to improve efficiency. They want better results without extra costs. Nobody really knows what that will mean. At the same time the government5 is probably planning to fold-in the care-services currently funded (barely) by local authorities. There are opportunities here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Elsewhere in the world every country has similar healthcare issues and in the third-world that sometimes means running software on ancient hand-me-down computers, often running old versions of Windows. They could do with some help too. The USA is looking at universal healthcare but it’s not going to happen unless the Democrats gain enough power to amend the constitution or someone comes up with a way to enable individual states to agree a nationwide strategy. Hell might freeze over first.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>So here’s a plan:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ol style='margin-top:0cm' start=1 type=1><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Create an open-source healthcare discussion group. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Create an international standards body for backbone systems<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Along with the NHS design and develop primary/secondary/tertiary healthcare management tools<o:p></o:p></span></li><ol style='margin-top:0cm' start=1 type=a><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>To build a free-as-in-beer system for healthcare administration in the third-world<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Introduce more free-as-in-speech software to the NHS and government<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In a mutual backscratching exercise persuade the NHS to use their management and development resources to take over maintenance for some of the orphaned open-source utility and infrastructure projects.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>By working with the NHS and third-world healthcare providers develop a consultancy arm of the NHS to co-ordinate international systems integration. Open-source by default.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>By making the NHS the go-to people for large-scale healthcare systems position them as the obvious people to implement universal healthcare in the USA when the time is right<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:5.25pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Make the NHS revenue-neutral. <o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Bernard Peek<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>30 Rosemary Crescent, Wigan WN1 3XF<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><a href="mailto:bap@shrdlu.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>bap@shrdlu.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>