Most NHS trust heads are demanding extra funding from the government to achieve the health department’s goal of becoming paperless by 2018, new research has revealed.
The survey of 200 NHS workers including heads of trusts, IT decision-makers and healthcare staff, found that 82% of NHS head trusts are expecting more funding from the government to become paperless. And 60% said the government should pay for the entire bill.
Mark O’Herlihy, Healthcare Director EMEA, at Perceptive Software said: "Too often in the past, NHS IT initiatives have split workers on their benefits so this bodes well for success as we progress past paperlight and paperless milestones."
"Although there may be budget concerns and the need for better communication between heads of trusts and IT decision makers, we do need to be realistic, because it’s no mean feat digitising thousands upon thousands of medical files and processes within multiple departments and trusts across the country.
The research, commissioned by Perceptive Software from market researchers Vanson Bourne, also revealed disparities between NHS trust heads and other key staff.
When asked if the NHS would be paperless by 2018, 54% of heads of trusts said it would compared to less than a fifth of IT decision makers and healthcare workers. And those, who said it wouldn’t, suggested 2021 as a more realistic goal.
NHS head of trusts reckon over half of patients have digitalised records, while clinical staff think it’s almost two thirds. By contrast, NHS IT staff believes it is 41%.
"Whether the end goal is 2018 or 2021, one hundred per cent of heads of NHS trusts believe digitising medical records will improve patient faith in the NHS. At a time when patient centric care is the upmost priority, it’s good to see that’s what our healthcare system is aiming for," said O’Herlihy.
