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Drive to cut waiting list backlog bogged down by bureaucrats

By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR

A FLAGSHIP programme to bring down NHS waiting lists is to be delayed after becoming mired in bureaucracy.

The £360million Federated Data Platform is seen as critical to reducing the backlog, with a record 7.1 million people now affected.

Experts have warned that progress towards clearing waiting lists has been set back by chaotic recording systems.

NHS data have been found to be littered with errors, such as duplicate entries and dead patients, and many in need of follow-up care are not recorded after a first appointment.

The invitation to tender was due to be issued this summer, with the contract to be awarded by November. But it has been repeatedly beset by delays.

The Daily Telegraph understands the invitation will be issued next week. But health officials are set to embark on a far more cumbersome procurement process than had been planned – putting plans to tackle backlogs in jeopardy.

It had been thought the NHS would put the tender out to an open procurement process, allowing decisions to be taken quickly. But officials are expected to announce a process of “competitive dialogue” – a far slower tendering procedure, which has been widely criticised as it can take years.

In 2011 ministers said that in all future contracts there should be a “presumption against” its use, with Francis Maude, then a member of the Cabinet, warning that it was a “clunky and protracted” process that “slows things up unnecessarily”. A Cabinet review earlier the same year warned: “In almost 30 per cent of instances analysed, this more in-depth procurement route has been used when it is neither necessary nor helpful, which is leading to elongated procurements and additional costs for government and suppliers.”

NHS England said the tendering process needed to be “robust” to ensure suppliers could deliver the required functionality.

However, a source close to the programme said hopes that the project could tackle waiting lists before the next election appeared to be stymied by the convoluted process planned.

The programme is highly sensitive as previous attempts to use patient data to reform healthcare have failed after the proposed models were criticised by privacy campaigners.

This month Dr Nicola Byrne, the National Data Guardian, said it “must avoid common pitfalls around trust and transparency that have frustrated previous initiatives in this area”.

The contract notice for the project is awaiting the approval of Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, who last week said it would be key to health service reform.

An NHS spokesman said: “The Federated Data Platform will ensure that NHS staff have access to the information they need to improve patient care and save lives.

“Platforms are already being used by NHS trusts to do this that are reducing cancer waiting times, speeding up diagnosis and getting patients home quicker and we want to extend the benefits across England.”

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Daily Telegraph