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.