Cerner Millennium Implementation
Dear North Bristol NHS Trust,
1. Please provide me with a copy of your Cerner IT Electronic Records implementation plan, including pilot, if you did one.
2. Who signed off Cerner to go live and what success criteria was this decision based on?
3. Please provide me with a copy of the issues log for the implementation, showing full history of closed and open items.
4. Does NBT plan any further Cerner IT implementations? If so, please provide details and timescales.
5. Is it correct that NBT will have to take responsibility for the running costs of Cerner from 2015? If so, what will the annual cost be and what is the projected lifetime of the system?
Yours faithfully,
Mrs D Havercroft
on behalf of South West Whistleblowers Health Action Group
Dear North Bristol NHS Trust,
Regarding question 2. Please include minutes of the Cerner Project Board/Steering Committee meetings.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs D Havercroft
Dear Mrs Havercroft
Thank you for your request for information of 28th January 2012, apologies for the delay in replying. In compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, our response is below.
At this time the Trust feels that to answer your questions regarding the Cerner Millennium implementation would compromise our position with BT and Cerner.
The Trust will therefore not be responding to your request under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as it is felt that to release the information requested 'would or would likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the Public Authority holding it)'.
As you are aware from the press coverage of the implementation, North Bristol NHS Trust will be undertaking a formal review of the Cerner Millennium implementation and therefore feels that to release information now regarding the implementation would prejudice the findings of that review.
Once the formal review has been undertaken, the Trust will apply the 'Public Interest Test' to the results of those findings in order to make an informed decision as to what information can be released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 legislation at that time
However, the Trust is undertaking a review of the implementation and whilst we are bedding in the Cerner Phase 1 implementation, and our strategic direction is to increase Cerner functionality such that the new hospital has a full electronic patient record.
We can confirm that it is the case that from October 2015 the running costs will be the responsibility of the Trust. The exact costs are still being calculated, but will be around the same levels as our previous patient administration system, we estimate. The life of the overall programme is not finite, as we hope to grow the EPR with us over the coming years ahead.
I trust this is the information you are seeking and that your request has been fully discharged, but I should be pleased to offer any further assistance that you may require.
We should advise that you have the right to complain about this response by reference to the complaints procedure of the North Bristol NHS Trust, in which case you should write to the Complaints Manager at North Bristol NHS Trust, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, BS16 1LE
If you remain dissatisfied with the decision of North Bristol NHS Trust following your complaint, you may write to the Information Commissioner, whose address is:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
The Trust asks that you note, that the information you have been supplied may be subject to the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988. You may re-use the information provided for personal use, (not including logos), free of charge in any format or medium. However, you must re-use it accurately and not in a misleading context. You must acknowledge the information as North Bristol NHS Trust copyright and give the title of the document/publication. Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned
Kind Regards
Helen
Helen Williamson (Nee Matthews)
Head of Information Governance
North Bristol NHS Trust
Information Management & Technology
Data Centre
Southmead Hospital
Tel: (0117) 32 38402
[mobile number]
Email: [email address]
www.nbt.nhs.uk
Dear North Bristol NHS Trust,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of North Bristol NHS Trust's handling of my FOI request 'Cerner Millennium Implementation'.
"it is felt that to release the information requested 'would or would likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the Public Authority holding it)".
Subjective feelings are not a valid reason for rejecting an FOIA request. What is your objective, evidence base for rejecting this request?
If you have a decent contract with your suppliers, it is inconceivable that any party's commercial interests would be prejudiced by disclosure of the information I have asked for.
"North Bristol NHS Trust will be undertaking a formal review of the Cerner Millennium implementation and therefore feels that to release information now regarding the implementation would prejudice the findings of that review."
Again, subjective feelings are not a valid reason to refuse the FOIA request. Why would release of the information now prejudice the findings of your review? I have asked for documents. You either have them or you haven't. Your review isn't going to change that.
May I remind you that embarrassment, no matter how profound, is not a lawful reason to refuse to comply with FOIA requests.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ce...
Yours faithfully,
Mrs D Havercroft
on behalf of South West Whistleblowers Health Action Group
Dear Mrs Havercroft
Thank you for your email of 14th March 2012. Your request for an internal review has been forwarded to the appropriate department for consideration and will be responded to within 20 working days.
Your ref: 1285-01-12
Kind Regards
Helen
Helen Williamson
Head of Information Governance
North Bristol NHS Trust
Information Management & Technology
Data Centre
Southmead Hospital
Tel: (0117) 32 38402
[mobile number]
Email: [email address]
www.nbt.nhs.uk
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