NPfIT delays give local NHS trusts a financial planning headache.

The article reports that delays to Great Britain National Health Service's (NHS') £6.2 billion National Programme for IT (NPfIT) are creating financial planning difficulties in local NHS trusts. Board papers from West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority in England reveal how delays to the hospital systems supplied by the programme are making financial planning "extremely uncertain." They specify an allocation for the authority of £6.8 million from Connecting for Health (CfH), which runs the programme. However, delays to the NPfIT mean this funding will need to be stretched over at least one extra year. It was unlikely Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust would receive suitable systems before the end of 2008, according to board papers. CfH products, including online appointment booking and electronic health records, are central to the push to improve choice and productivity in the NHS. Because of high staff turnover and change within NHS organizations, some money on training and raising awareness would have to be spent twice because of programme delays.