Staff 'could be alienated' by NHS IT strategy

The NHS IT strategy could 'further alienate NHS staff 'by setting up 'preferred solution providers'with large, primarily US, companies the British Computer Society has warned.Dr Glyn Hayes, chair of the BCS health informatics committee, and a former GP, says simply providing solutions without the provision of significant local user input could easily result in 'just more boxes on desks'.BCS says NHS staff suffer from 'a lack of awareness of the real potential of computerised systems, combined with a lack of enthusiasm and even a fear of IT systems'.And it is concerned the government may have underestimated the need for highly qualified IT management at primary care trust level.

www. bcs. org