NHS Executive stands by Read codes

British Medical Journal, March 28, 1998 by John Warden

The NHS Executive has admitted that it was remiss in how it purchased the Read computer codes in 1990, but it now believes that it is essential to retain the system so as to run the NHS effectively. The clinical codes, still being developed, enable hospitals and general practices to be linked on a computer network.

Mr Alan Langlands, chief executive of the NHS in England, was vigorously questioned by the Commons public accounts committee this week, following sharp criticism by the National Audit Office of the 19m [pounds sterling] ($30m) project (21 March, p 883). Alongside him was Dr James Read, who developed the codes and was given monopoly fights as an NHS manager to buy services from his own company.

Mr Langlands agreed that this was a flawed arrangement with a potential conflict of interests, although no abuse was identified by the auditors to have taken place. Dr Read is no longer employed by the NHS but is retained as a consultant until his contract expires in 1999, when the marketing and licensing of the codes will be put out to tender. Another 4.1m [pounds sterling] is required for continued development.

MPs on the committee suggested that the project should be abandoned as a disaster, to stop throwing good public money after bad. Mr Langlands retorted that it was not money wasted. He has agreed to carry out an independent evaluation but said he could not commit himself to abort a project which potentially was of huge importance to the NHS, keeping it at the leading edge of computer development. It had strong support from the medical profession, and the codes were used by 800% of GPs. There were few alternatives.

The committee, however, is conscious of the past failings of costly NHS computer technology that it has had to investigate, notably the Wessex enterprise and HIS, the hospital information system.