Transplanted head to review NHS IT

The massive NHS IT overhaul (the National Programme for IT - NPfIT) has a new boss. Richard Granger's not gone, but there's a new NHS chief, David Nicholson, who wants to review the whole operation, according to the FT, who also have an interesting interview with Granger himself.

Since you have to pay to read the FT's stories, I'll precis them for you:

1) 43 Hospital patient admin systems (PASs) were supposed to be running by the end of November - call it 19 in reality... Granger blames staff mistrust caused by having to choose between Cerner and iSoft's packages, neither of which currently do the whole job as desired. 2) Hospitals aren't too keen on undergoing "data cleansing" in the transition to new systems, as it shows up their duplicated records, missed targets etc. 3) Connecting for Health, which runs the project, is to be downsized as staff are migrated into their area trusts. 4) Nicholson wants to make sure the NHS actually "owns" the system that's being created. Which is rather hopeful, given the privatised nature of the task.

Also bear in mind that BT, who are supposed to be rolling the new systems out across London, have so far succeeded in installing only one PAS in a major acute hospital. And no clinical system.

A lot to review, then...