HSSD needs £600k for medical records project
AN EXTRA £600,000 is needed to stop Health's shared electronic medical records system project from stalling.
The department dismissed suggestions the shortfall was caused by a reduction in project staff being classed as FTP savings instead of being reinvested in the work, although admitted this was true for one of three technical posts lost.
Instead it argued the money was needed for nine, eighteen-month contract posts for staff needed in the final design of the initiative – and these had not been properly budgeted for in the original plan.
'To date, the department has provided additional professional input to the project as part of its business as usual. However, the changing financial environment has meant that HSSD no longer has any spare capacity within its operational teams to provide this kind of development support to EHSCR, and an alternative solution needs to be found,' a spokesman said.
