'Anger as best paid civil servant goes', The Sunday Telegraph told its readers as it emerged earlier this week that the chief executive of Connecting for Health Richard Granger would leave his £292,000-a-year post in October.

'Anger as best paid civil servant goes', The Sunday Telegraph told its readers as it emerged earlier this week that the chief executive of Connecting for Health Richard Granger would leave his£292,000-a-year post in October.

It said: 'Britain's best-paid civil servant is to quit as the head of NHS IT, claiming the new, accident-prone computer system is on track.'

It quoted Mr Granger as saying there was 'no doubt about the programme's achievability' but it also quoted Unison head of health Karen Jennings, who said Mr Granger's optimism about the IT programme was at odds with the view of the 'majority of NHS staff'.

The Financial Times followed suit, telling readers that Mr Granger's departure had come when the 'state of the programme remains a matter of controversy'.

It explained that 'its key goal - a full, detailed, local, interchangeable patient record - is running at least two years late'.

A Sunday Times article added that 'the biggest civilian computer project' was backed by Tony Blair to deliver electronic records for every NHS patient.

However it said the system was 'now more than two years late and Gordon Brown is expected to review its progress when he becomes Prime Minister'.

The Guardian told its readers Mr Granger last week dismissed much of the IT programme debate as 'complete tosh'.

His departure will inevitably raise a few eyebrows, and it remains to be seen whether Gordon Brown will continue with the IT programme in its current form.