Hospital booking 'a year behind'

GPs will not all be able to use computers to book patients' choices

Government's plan to introduce an electronic booking system across the NHS in England is a year behind schedule, it has been revealed.

The head of the NHS, Sir Nigel Crisp, said the target of offering patients a choice of four hospitals from January 2006 would still be met.

But the plan to make the system completely computerised will be delayed by around 12 months.

This is because of problems linking hospitals' and GPs' computers.

Manual procedures have been developed to ensure that at the turn of the year, all patients can exercise their choice of hospital in line with our commitment Department of Health spokesman

Doctors have a variety of systems in their surgeries, and it has been revealed there have been problems getting the software controlling the 'choose and book' database to "talk" to these different computer systems.

This means the electronic booking system cannot be introduced by January 2006 as planned.

Hospital 'menu'

When the government proposed its 'choose and book' electronic system, it was envisaged 10m appointments a year could be arranged this way.

However, so far, only 20,000 have actually been booked.

The government did not appreciate the complexities of such a system and the setting of unrealistic deadlines and targets has not been helpful Dr Richard Vautrey, British Medical Association

The delays in introducing the system contradict a pledge made in January by former Health Secretary John Reid, who said the introduction of electronic booking was running "weeks, but not months or years late".

Speaking on Tuesday, Sir Nigel Crisp said the target had been to offer patients a choice of hospitals by the end of this year - and that had been achieved.

He said primary care trusts would set out a "menu" of four hospitals that GPs' patients would be able to choose from.

They will be given information on factors such as MRSA rates and waiting times, in order to help them make their decision.

PCTs will not have to select a private sector provider, as had been mooted before, if there is none suitable locally.

Booking numbers 'accelerated'

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We are confident of introducing choice at the point of referral for patients from January 2006 as we committed to do, with continually increasing numbers of patients booked electronically throughout 2006.

"We have introduced a range of support for the NHS, including financial incentives, to speed up progress in choosing and booking appointments electronically, and we are confident that the results of this support will start to show in the coming months.

"Alongside this, manual procedures have been developed to ensure that at the turn of the year, all patients can exercise their choice of hospital in line with our commitment.

"We remain confident that the roll out of Choose and Book will continue to increase and great progress is being made day by day.

"The number of bookings is also accelerating day by day. It is therefore too soon to speculate on the position around the turn of the year but we will provide updates of progress at regular intervals."

GPs' leaders have said they are keen to offer patients more choice, but are concerned about the time that may be added to consultations as patients are talked through the different options.

Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, said: "The delay in the implementation of 'choose and book' is not unexpected.

"The system is very complicated and it has been difficult to get GPs and hospitals' computers talking to each other.

"The government did not appreciate the complexities of such a system and the setting of unrealistic deadlines and targets has not been helpful.

But he added: "We have recently seen improvements in the development and implementation of the system."

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We warned the government over 10 months ago that choose and book would not be delivered on time."