e-HealthExpert.org - Primum non nocere

An article at the EHI Primary Care site reports that the chairman of the British Medical Association has criticised the UK government's choice agenda and dubbed the "Choose and Book" program a "fiasco" that takes no account of how GPs and hospitals work.

"Choose and Book" is a UK national project that intends to combine electronic booking and a choice of time, date and place for first outpatient appointment (more at: Choose and Book Site)

A recent survey of more than 2000 members of the public conducted by YouGov for the BMA found ‘choice of where to have an operation’ came bottom of a list of 10 options of where those surveyed thought NHS funding should be prioritised. Cleaner hospitals, improved accident and emergency and shorter waits for outpatient appointments were the top three priorities rated by the public.

The chairman of the British Medical Association told doctors at the annual representative that "Choose and Book": “Has been a fiasco so far because people who do not work with doctors or patients have devised a system which does not begin to understand the basis on which GPs refer and hospitals organise clinics. This is just a mini example of the much bigger mess that could be coming our way with Connecting for Health (*) if the new systems are not planned with the involvement of the nurses and doctors who deliver the services to patients.”

(*) Connecting for Health is the UK's National ten year Programme for IT (more at: Connecting for Health Site)

The full article is available at: Choose and Book a 'fiasco', claims BMA chair