Labour's failed Connecting for Health NHS IT scheme could end up costing taxpayers 700 million, following reports that a legal dispute between Fujitsu and the NHS has been settled in the IT supplier's favour.
According to a report in The Telegraph, Fujitsu was pursuing compensation after its 896m contract with the NHS was cancelled.
The IT supplier reportedly won 700m, although it seems Fujitsu is feeling a little hard done by, and pressing for higher levels of compensation.
The case was heard in secret to protect the parties' reputations and save on legal bills and, as yet, neither the Cabinet Office nor Fujitsu has commented on the results.
Connecting for Health was part of the 12bn NHS National Programme for IT and sought to digitise patient records in the South of England.
The Labour government revealed the plans in 2001 it, but the project was closed down in 2008, after disputes about changes to the plans including the storing of X-rays.
In 2010, the Cabinet Office took over the case and tried to come to an agreement with Fujitsu out of court, but it led to arbitration and a 31.5m legal bill instead.
This is the most recent tale of the government's failed IT strategy.
Last month, it was revealed that the Home Office was caught up in another arbitration, worth 500m of compensation, with border IT supplier Raytheon.
A Cabinet Office spokesman told the BBC: "Fujitsu are an important supplier of IT services to the government. The government does not comment on contractual disputes with suppliers."
Fujitsu also said it wouldn't comment on the case but explained: "Fujitsu has been a strategic partner to the UK government implementing critical IT for the last 40 years and we are committed to working closely with the UK public sector for the next 40 years and beyond."
-
Microsoft Excel is still alive and kicking at 40News A recent survey found Gen Z and Millennial finance professionals have a strong “emotional attachment” to Microsoft Excel
-
LastPass hit with ICO fine after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million usersNews The impact of the LastPass breach was felt by customers as late as December 2024
-
Google drops cloud complaint against MicrosoftNews Anticompetitive concerns aren't gone, but Google is leaving the battle to the EC instead
-
A decade-long ban on AI laws is a “terrible idea” for everyone but big tech, critics claimNews A proposed decade-long ban on US states implementing AI laws is a "terrible idea" that highlights the scale of big tech lobbying, according to critics.
-
NHS leaders are keen to adopt new digital tools, but IT can't solve problems on its ownA survey of healthcare decision-makers finds they believe IoT devices and electronic health recording could help them reach more patients quicker
-
How a paperless approach cut wasted staff hours at Bradford Teaching Hospitals TrustCase study Through DrDoctor’s digital portal for patient appointments and advice, the Rheumatology team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has dramatically cut
-
Healthcare’s next chapterwhitepaper Revolutionizing how you care with EPR experts you can trust
-
Fujitsu staff at HMRC stage walk out over pay disputeNews Fujitsu staff are angry about a pay award that's a fraction of that offered to staff in Japan
-
How digital experience management helped an NHS trust improve productivityCase study Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust used digital experience management to cut device failure and restore time to clinicians
-
Will the NHS Federated Data Platform transform UK healthcare?In-depth Plans to create a data platform in partnership with the private sector could revolutionize NHS treatment, but concerns over data privacy and security are festering
