WIREDGOV

£80m it programme to boost medical care for the armed forces

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE News Release (149/2007) issued by The Government News Network on 1 August 2007

A new IT system that allows military medical records to be accessed across the UK, overseas and on the battlefield has taken a major step forward, the MOD and LogicaCMG have announced today.

After piloting at two small sites, Colchester Medical Reception Station was the first large military medical centre to implement the system, known as 'DMICP' (Defence Medical Information Capability Programme). The system is now being progressively rolled out to all UK Army medical facilities, before being extended to the RAF, Royal Navy, Defence Dental Services and permanent overseas bases by August 2008.

After 2008, a version of the system will be available in field hospitals, on board ships and on the battlefield via laptop and other portable equipment under development. This will mean instant access to casualties' medical records to aid diagnosis and improve and speed up treatment. The system will also allow casualties to be issued with a chip loaded with their health records as a back-up until they reach a military medical or NHS facility.

Derek Twigg, the Under Secretary of State for Defence said:

"The new system being launched today is all about improving the care and treatment of military personnel. Doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals will now benefit from access to one central database, providing the most up-to-date information on their patients- it will not matter if they are in Birmingham or Basra. This is a truly 21st Century way of working and a huge step change in medical care."

Lt Gen Robert Baxter, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Health), said:

"The Defence Medical Services are delighted with the achievements made by the DMICP programme so far. The ability to access patient records anywhere, anytime is an invaluable asset and the assurance of a single record for each patient will give medical staff greater confidence that when treating patients they are looking at a definitive record. The system will allow staff to work more efficiently, spend more of their time caring for patients and utilise medical resources more effectively. We will quickly see the powerful impact that DMICP will have on both DMS staff and patients, and we are looking forward with great enthusiasm to the deployment phase of the programme."

At present, military medical records are held on non-networked computers or on paper. Service personnel may even have more than one record as they move between different locations during their career.

From 2010, the system will be connected to NHS information systems, simplifying and improving the processes by which Service personnel gain access to treatment in NHS hospitals. It will also mean that the NHS medical records of new recruits can be imported directly into the Defence Medical Services, and records can be exported back to civilian GPs on retirement.

DMICP will enable the MOD to generate detailed, accurate information on the health of the Armed Forces. By identifying patterns of illnesses and the outcomes of medical treatment, it will aid the process of continually identifying ways to provide quicker and more effective treatment. It is a key component of the Defence Health Change Programme, which is improving Forces' healthcare in a variety of ways.

Ed Jones, Managing Director of LogicaCMG's Space and Defence Division said:

"The complexity of this programme, both in terms of business transformation and technology, cannot be underestimated. The joint risk reduction exercise completed during the bid phase has contributed to the successful delivery of this programme. The close partnership between the Defence Medical Services team and LogicaCMG brings together a powerful combination of skills from within the public and private sectors, which has been essential to the programme's delivery on time and to budget."

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The MOD awarded the £80M contract for the IT component of DMICP to LogicaCMG in 2006 after a competitive tender. The system will incorporate the EMIS clinical information tool used by 55% of NHS GPs, and the reporting tool COGNOS. DMICP was trialled earlier this year at Chicksands and Waterbeach Medical Centres.