OMFG!

volospian said:
I worked in IT in the NHS for a long time and the amount of waste I saw there was inexcusable. Items bought at considerable expense, and then discarded like used snot rags. The national email system cost over £90 million, then they decided that local NHS organisations could use their existing, perfectly useable, email systems if they wished. Take up on the national system was, to say the least, poor. It may be better now, but in the first year it had about 20k users. £4500 per user seem reasonable?
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NHSmail will soon be mandatory, as its required for all transmision of patient data as the trust specific email systems do not offer end to end encryption. Takeup on NHSmail is now much better, Devon PCT, the haunt of both myself and Fox is the first PCT in the country to fully migrate all the GP surgeries in its region to NHSmail (i know, i did the blooming things!). As soon as there is better co-operation between IT service teams, the PCT HQ staff will also go.

But, I do agree, spending in the NHS is appauling. money is wasted all over the place.
 
volospian said:
Fox, the issues about funding in the NHS are considerably more involved than choosing between giving a tranny a lop, or disinfecting a bed.

I worked in IT in the NHS for a long time and the amount of waste I saw there was inexcusable. Items bought at considerable expense, and then discarded like used snot rags. The national email system cost over £90 million, then they decided that local NHS organisations could use their existing, perfectly useable, email systems if they wished. Take up on the national system was, to say the least, poor. It may be better now, but in the first year it had about 20k users. £4500 per user seem reasonable?

Likewise the cost of constant reorganisations are astronimical. The board of the HA was around 3.5 million in wages and expenses, the govt then decided that the NHS was out of touch with its public and split that HA into 4 PCT's, each with their own board. During that time many non PC specific managers were laid off, with a nice big chunk of cash for their troubles. Those 4 replacement boards then cost the NHS ~12million per annum in wages. Later those PCT's were reshuffled, laying many of those senior managers off, again with large payouts.

The IT was also split, then reformed, then split again, then reformed somewhere else. Each time with the creation of multiple new jobs, and large payoffs for those made redundant during the cutting stages.

Until the NHS is managed correctly the amount of cash spent on operations will be a drop in the ocean to the waste made my senior management and restructures.
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Spot on tbh.

You'll also know what it's like at this time of year in terms of budgets...We just had a 'free for all' to spend money that we wouldn't be budgeted next year if it wasn't all used up before April 1.

*n
 
penski said:
Spot on tbh.

You'll also know what it's like at this time of year in terms of budgets...We just had a 'free for all' to spend money that we wouldn't be budgeted next year if it wasn't all used up before April 1.

*n
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Agreed, the budgeting in the NHS is rubbish. you are given money in line with what you used last year.... plus inflation.

The NHS is in the unique position whereby both an overspend and an underspend are both equally as bad as each other!
 
penski said:
Spot on tbh.

You'll also know what it's like at this time of year in terms of budgets...We just had a 'free for all' to spend money that we wouldn't be budgeted next year if it wasn't all used up before April 1.

*n
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Make sure if you want a simple printer it costs more than £250 or you can't capitalise it..
 
Skeeter said:
NHSmail will soon be mandatory, as its required for all transmision of patient data as the trust specific email systems do not offer end to end encryption. Takeup on NHSmail is now much better, Devon PCT, the haunt of both myself and Fox is the first PCT in the country to fully migrate all the GP surgeries in its region to NHSmail (i know, i dont the blooming things!). As soon as there is better co-operation between IT service teams, the PCT HQ staff will also go.

But, I do agree, spending in the NHS is appauling. money is wasted all over the place.
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Yeah, I've been out 2 years now. It's about time NHSMail was made mandatory, they've wasted enough on it and upkeep on allthe other legacy systems. But it's not just that either. When I was there they were working on a national finance system, which went the same way, you can use it or not, if you like, and nobody I knew used it and I knew just about everybody in the trent region.

Another time we were told by the then NHSIA to work on encryption. Whenwe asked what systems, software, etc. to use they said "we don't carre, as long as you have an encryption system" so off people went and bought encryption solutions. Then the NHSIA decided that as we had NHSNet, X400 would suffice and to scrap all those encryption systems.

They also made the HIS move from it's original building, which also included moving all the network links for around 120 buildings. That wasn't cheap at all, and why did they move it... because they wanted some other department in that building instead, because they were taking up space at the main office and the directors were complaining about no space. So they spent something like £250,000+ on moving IT, so they could free up a few offices, so the directors each had a private office, with a seperate meeting room.

Another fun story, when the SHA was set up, they bought a stack of PC's. They were ordered by the director himself. They were literally more powerful than the machine running out email system. Dual processors, huge amounts of RAM, SCSI hard disks, etc. We asked him what he needed them for... to run outlook on, apparently. Also, when his printers turned up, he made us take them away and order a complete set of new printers. Why? Because they were beige and his PC was black and so they didn't match.

Unbelievable, but sadly true!
 
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Skeeter said:
NHSmail will soon be mandatory, as its required for all transmision of patient data as the trust specific email systems do not offer end to end encryption. Takeup on NHSmail is now much better, Devon PCT, the haunt of both myself and Fox is the first PCT in the country to fully migrate all the GP surgeries in its region to NHSmail (i know, i did the blooming things!). As soon as there is better co-operation between IT service teams, the PCT HQ staff will also go.

But, I do agree, spending in the NHS is appauling. money is wasted all over the place.
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That's more like it.

We're mid-migration at GP end and although all new PCT staff go to (s)Exchange ( ;) ), most are going to nhs.net these days.

I agree with you that cuts shouldn't come from patient care but rather from extraneous staff and unnecessary reshuffling and restructuring. However, I still maintain that all patient care is essential and certainly as essential as GP opening hours and hospital availability. Everything should be sacred when it comes to the patient side of things. Everything should be expendable when it comes to staffing of nonessential services.

*n
 
penski said:
Spot on tbh.

You'll also know what it's like at this time of year in terms of budgets...We just had a 'free for all' to spend money that we wouldn't be budgeted next year if it wasn't all used up before April 1.

*n
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Yep, but to be fair that's similar to local govt. where I work now. It does end up with stacks of items purchased that are never used, simply to get rid of budgets though.

While I was in the NHS I had people order 3 top of the range laptops and 3 projectors, just because they had a few grand to get rid of. I've also had one department invest heavily in PDA's despite being told that in a few weeks time they would be provided with blackberries.
 
I had to re-read one line 3 times before I realised there wasn't a c in her new name :p

Why go from Tim to Suzi? why not Tam, Tanya, **** McGee? :p

meh, one new way to poke fun at Scuzi :D And if Scuzi ever decides to follow this path, there will be less confusion for everyone :D
 
[TW]Fox;11250175 said:
There are some things in life you can rely on.

penski will always be alternative. VW Golfs will always be over-rated. And I will always spell becuase wrong.
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LOL good answer.
 
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