[SC.LUG] Open Source NHS anyone?

[David Holden]

On Thursday 15 March 2007 9:47 am, Richard Pineger wrote:



> I understand what you are saying George. Open Source does, I suppose, refer
> simply to software. However, there are many many collaborative standards
> being written for example, RFCs. The processes that generate those could be
> run to the benefit of local parts of the NHS. And, if you consider that the
> NHS is the second largest employer in the world, yes, it might be besoke to
> the NHS but the NHS itself has a turnover of more than some small
> countries.
>
> I know it is pie-in-the-sky but does a place exist where these doctors and
> consultants and IT specialists are collaborating on what they _actually_
> want? Somewhere wbere standards can emerge?
>
> Everyone is talking about the diversity necessary and standards necessary
> for communication. I just feel that, given the size of the NHS it could
> learn an awful lot from the open source and RFC (or OASIS or W3C)
> development process.
>
> Does anyone have any contact with the movers and shakers in the NHS? Who
> knows where to start to build a collaborative process?
>
> Richard


Unforunately this is all about politics, and uniformed vanity politics at 
that. As the private eye article stated the consultants won the day with talk 
of a grand scheme (I'm sure there was lots of use of the phrase "joined up" 
etc) and another monolithic IT titanic was set sail. A similar thing occurred 
with ID cards.

It seems some local practioners are responding in their own way

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2033496,00.html


As to mover's and shakers I suspect the NHS is far too big for that and far 
too much is at stake, see what happened to one guy who put his head above the 
parapet


 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/08/folk_hero/



Here's quite a detailed wiki on the subject


http://editthis.info/nhs_it_info/Main_Page


And here's a article by a Doctor on the privacy and confidentiality issues



http://www.ardenhoe.demon.co.uk/privacy/decoy.pdf


   Dave.



>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sc-bounces at mailman.lug.org.uk [mailto:sc-bounces at mailman.lug.org.uk]
> On Behalf Of George
> Sent: 14 March 2007 21:22
> Cc: 'S. Cheshire Free Software User Group'
> Subject: Re: [SC.LUG] Open Source NHS anyone?
>
> Richard Pineger wrote:
> > I was wondering, now that the NHS IT refresh NPfIT is starting to
> > crumble, is there a place for an Open Source alternative created by a
> > community of concerned citizens who, after all, really want a health
>
> service?
>
> > Does anyone else apart for me have any experience of this IT project?
> > I can set up a wiki for people to throw some ideas up and I could
> > start a petition on that petitions website.
> >
> > What do you think?
>
> I don't think the problem has been caused by Proprietary vs Open Source but
> rather poor management from EDS and the NHS, from the scoping of the
> contract through to it's delivery. I don't think the open development
> methodology would have reduced costs - it'd have to be bespoke tailored to
> the NHS' requirements so they'd be the ones that had to pay people to
> scope, write, implement or whatever it is that consultants do. The actual
> reusable infrastructure of the system might benefit from using open source
> and indeed might be already - it would of course be in EDS'
> interests to use them if it allowed them to submit a more competitive bid.
>
> That said one of the comments from a doctor (I forget where, although I
> suspect it might have been the TV documentary) was that a problem with the
> project was that they were attempting to go for a huge, complex national
> system to be rolled out to all the practices, hospitals, etc.
> whereas if they had simply defined standards for the various functions such
> as data exchange a decision could have been made at a local level about
> what systems were appropriate for their needs. These smaller sub systems
> would also be more likely to be developed in an open manner, with there
> being an interest to share functionality between the various solutions.
>
> George
>
> Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.yahoo.com
>
>
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-- 
Dr. David Holden.

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