NHSE "hasn't got its act together" on 2000 bug info

The NHS Executive was attacked by one of its own specialist staff for a perceived failure to set itself up as a single source of information over the year 2000 problem, in the context of a worrying lack of readiness of computer systems in the service.

Peter Rolfe, manager of the NHS Executive Year 2000 Programme, told an audience at a conference on compliance in the healthcare industry, that the NHSE "hasn't got its act together as being one source of information". He added: "there are other organisations who have traditionally provided info". However another speaker, Tony Lewis of the Computer Software and Services Association, said that it was too late to start worrying about where the information was coming from. "It seems extraordinary that there are so many people here discussing the problem when there is only a year and a half to go," he told delegates.

NHS Estates has put out information on testing embedded systems, as well as guidance on contingency plans if a trust's support services cannot be made compliant, yet there remain problems at the ground level. "With embedded systems, not everyone knows which current chips are compliant and which aren't". Information from suppliers is hard to come by, and as a speaker from former medical products supplier Vickers demonstrated, firms have problems of their own in terms of demonstrating compliance in their systems.

Peter Rolfe said "It's all about information sharing," asserting that the centre is attempting to save trusts time and effort, publishing compliance data and exemplar reports on its website (www.imc.exec.nhs.uk/2000), and undertaking supplier liaison. However he warned delegates of his "concern that the supply of information from trusts is starting to dry up". He added: "If you have information you should be telling others about it". This urgent need was demonstrated in a recent survey of trusts by Prove It 2000, that said 80% of respondents believed they would not be compliant by 2000.

Copyright Wilmington Publishing Ltd. Aug 1998
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