Letter to Mr David Nicholson

From Nhs It Info

School of Computing Science
Middlesex University
Hendon Campus
The Burroughs
London NW4 4BT

Tel: +44 (0)20 8411 5000
Fax: +44 (0)20 8411 6411
Email: @mdx.ac.uk

David Nicholson CBE
Chief Executive of the NHS
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

29 November 2006

Dear Mr Nicholson

We are writing to you on behalf of the group of 23 senior academics in computing and systems who have over recent months been expressing their urgent concerns about the National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT).

In April we wrote to the Select Committee on Health to say that we believed that NPfIT was showing many of the symptoms we had seen in major IT systems that had been cancelled, had overrun massively, had failed to deliver an acceptable service to intended users or had failed to reach business benefit targets for their organisations. We asked the Committee to call for an independent review of NPfIT and to publish the results. A group of us met Dr Granger and his team in April and explained our concerns. Dr Granger agreed that a constructive independent review such as we proposed could be helpful.

Since we first voiced our concerns, subsequent problems, including those with suppliers, have increased our anxieties. People working within NPfIT, at many levels, have contacted us giving details of specific problems. It also seems clear that NPfIT has failed to gain the confidence and support of large numbers of the NHS community. We are confident, however, that an independent review would identify the main underlying technical and managerial problems, help provide solutions and bolster confidence. Our experience of technical reviews of major computing projects is that, when carried out professionally and dispassionately, they more than repay the time and cost involved.

We are delighted now to learn that the Select Committee has decided to hold an inquiry. It may be some time, however, before its results are published. We are also heartened, therefore, to hear via the press that you have commissioned a confidential internal review. We would be pleased to present evidence, written and/or oral, for submission to the review if you would find it useful, given that your review is likely to be completed in advance of the Committee’s inquiry.

For the avoidance of any misunderstanding, we would like to make it clear that our group is not seeking to review NPfIT ourselves. We are entirely independent of NPfIT. We are acting out of strong professional concern and, we believe, in the public interest.

Yours sincerely

Michael Smith Visiting Professor, Computer Science        University College London mfs@medix.to

Colin Tully Professor Emeritus of Software Practice School of Computing Science Middlesex University c.tully@mdx.ac.uk

Also on behalf of:

Ross Anderson Professor of Security Engineering Cambridge University James Backhouse Director, Information System Integrity Group London School of Economics David Bustard Professor and Head of Computing and Information Engineering University of Ulster Ewart Carson Professor of Systems Science Centre for Health Informatics City University Patrik O’Brian Holt Professor School of Computing The Robert Gordon University Roland Ibbett Professor School of Informatics University of Edinburgh Ray Ison Professor of Systems The Open University Achim Jung Professor School of Computer Science University of Birmingham Frank Land Emeritus Professor Information Systems Department London School of Economics Bev Littlewood Professor of Software Engineering City University John A McDermid Professor of Software Engineering University of York

Julian Newman Professor of Computing Glasgow Caledonian University Brian Randell Professor School of Computing Science University of Newcastle Uday Reddy Professor School of Computer Science University of Birmingham Peter Ryan Professor of Computing Science University of Newcastle Geoffrey Sampson Professor Department of Informatics University of Sussex Martin Shepperd Professor of Software Technologies Brunel University Tony Solomonides Reader in Computer Science and Medical Informatics University of the West of England Ian Sommerville Professor Computing Department Lancaster University Harold Thimbleby Professor of Computer Science Swansea University Martyn Thomas Visiting Professor of Software Engineering Computing Laboratory Oxford University