We’ve all read the headlines: with the population growing and the rising costs of 21st century ailments, the National Health Service will not be able to keep up under the strain.
The same afflictions could be attributed to the UK National Health Service IT infrastructure. Old database technologies, paper documentation, and disconnected information systems will also buckle under the weight without sufficient investment. While the government promises to increase the NHS budget to about £8 billion above inflation, we don’t yet know whether this will cover the full five-year period. However, if the cost to the economy of the single largest disability in England (mental illness) is estimated at £100 billion annually, £8 over five years is simply not enough to maintain the current status quo. In fact, the diagnosis is dire. Without a drastic life change, the health services that England has proudly benefited from, will perish.
This OrangePaper provides a peek into the state of health of the NHS Information Technology systems that support providers and offers a diagnosis for its sustainability and longevity.
