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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of the Information Management Group in terms of advance guidance and direction in the application of information technology in the NHS. [116856] Ms Stuart: The Information Management Group (IMG) was part of the National Health Service Executive responsible for the development and maintenance of our Information Management and Technology Strategy for the NHS. Its role was to maintain and develop the strategy in consultation with the NHS, professional groups and industry, and to manage national strategic projects. It was disbanded in April 1999 in line with the recommendations of "Information for Health" and was superseded by two bodies. One is the NHS Information Authority, which was formally established as a special health authority in April 1999. The role of the NHS Information Authority is to manage an agreed and focused work programme to develop those products and standards which can best be developed at national level, in order to support local implementation. The other is the Information Policy Unit, a small group within the NHS Executive with overall responsibility for delivery of the strategy. The role of the unit is to review and develop the strategy in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, and to contribute to the NHS Executive's wider policy development and management functions. Part of the IPU role is to support the National Information Partnership and the Information Policy Board, and to commission and monitor national work programmes and projects on information and IT in healthcare (in particular from the NHS Information Authority). The Policy Unit also provides advice and guidance to the NHS on strategic issues, for example guidance on local implementation strategies published as Health Service Circular 1999/200.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

347 c512W; 116856

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Computers ICT NHS Management Standards NHS Executive NHS Information Authority Information Policy Unit

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk