Doctors’ system takes 17 minutes just to log in
TECHNOLOGY in the NHS is so out-of-date it takes 17 minutes to log into PCS in the morning, the UK’S top family doctor has said.
Dr Helen Stokes-lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), yesterday revealed she could almost complete two appointments in the time it takes to start up her 10-year-old IT system.
The Midlands GP said her practice is still forced to rely on Windows 7. Launched in 2009, the operating system is considered so redundant that Microsoft no longer offers technical support to customers still using it.
In front of an audience of hundreds of GPS, Dr Stokeslampard told Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, she is lucky if she can make it through the morning without the PC crashing.
“Right now I’m working on Windows 7 in my own practice – it takes me 17 minutes to log on to my surgery [computer] on a Monday morning,” she said.
The comment was seen as a challenge to the Cabinet minister, who had been speaking about the potential for advanced IT in the NHS to improve services.
Mr Hancock had already provoked boos from the RCGP audience by reminding them he is registered with a virtual GP practice, run by private company Babylon, which provides health services online.
However, he conceded the dilapidated state of much of the IT equipment in the NHS, describing the use of Windows 7 as “outrageous”.
“The biggest frustration for me is just the low grade of most technology,” he said.
“Now, primary care is actually better than many hospitals, which just shows how much more there is to travel
‘Right now, I’m working on Windows 7 in my own practice’
in secondary care as well.”
He added: “We’ve got to solve it. We’ve got to make sure we have the investment but also the rules for things like interoperability.”
Frontline doctors have long complained that NHS efficiency could be drastically boosted simply by adopting day-to-day IT systems of a standard used in most businesses.
Prof Stokes-lampard said: “We have promises for more investment into general practice – and there are welcome signs this is finally getting to the front line.”