IT contractor leaves NHS programme on electronic patient records

A £900m (€1150m; $1770m) contract with an IT services firm is the latest part of the £13bn programme that started five years ago to computerise the NHS in England to go awry.

NHS Connecting for Health, the agency that runs the programme, has said that it will issue a termination notice to Fujitsu, “the local service provider” responsible for installing and running electronic patient record systems in southern England, from Cornwall to Kent but excluding London. The decision has followed months of renegotiations of a 2004 contract.

The agency would not say who would replace Fujitsu. “Work has started immediately on planning the necessary arrangements.” It has already …