<s>
The	O
NHS	B-Application
Connecting	I-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
(	O
CFH	O
)	O
agency	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
UK	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
and	O
was	O
formed	O
on	O
1	O
April	O
2005	O
,	O
having	O
replaced	O
the	O
former	O
NHS	O
Information	O
Authority	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
Informatics	O
Directorate	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
role	O
to	O
maintain	O
and	O
develop	O
the	O
NHS	O
national	O
IT	B-Application
infrastructure	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
adopted	O
the	O
responsibility	O
of	O
delivering	O
the	O
NHS	B-Application
National	I-Application
Programme	I-Application
for	I-Application
IT	I-Application
(	O
NPfIT	B-Application
)	O
,	O
an	O
initiative	O
by	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
National	O
Health	O
Service	O
(	O
NHS	O
)	O
in	O
England	O
towards	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
centrally-mandated	O
electronic	O
care	O
record	O
for	O
patients	O
and	O
to	O
connect	O
30,000	O
general	O
practitioners	O
to	O
300	O
hospitals	O
,	O
providing	O
secure	O
and	O
audited	O
access	O
to	O
these	O
records	O
by	O
authorised	O
health	O
professionals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
31	O
March	O
2013	O
,	O
NHS	B-Application
Connecting	I-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
ceased	O
to	O
exist	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
projects	O
and	O
responsibilities	O
were	O
taken	O
over	O
by	O
Health	O
and	O
Social	O
Care	O
Information	O
Centre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contracts	O
for	O
the	O
NPfIT	B-Application
spine	O
and	O
five	O
clusters	O
were	O
awarded	O
in	O
December	O
2003	O
and	O
January	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NPfIT	B-Application
was	O
said	O
by	O
NHS	O
CFH	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
biggest	O
civil	O
information	O
technology	O
programme	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
remaining	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
National	B-Application
Programme	I-Application
for	I-Application
IT	I-Application
were	O
cancelled	O
,	O
and	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
spending	O
would	O
proceed	O
with	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
seeking	O
for	O
local	O
software	O
solutions	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
single	O
nationally	O
imposed	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
31	O
March	O
2013	O
,	O
NHS	B-Application
Connecting	I-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
ceased	O
to	O
exist	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
projects	O
and	O
responsibilities	O
were	O
taken	O
over	O
by	O
Health	O
and	O
Social	O
Care	O
Information	O
Centre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
programme	O
was	O
established	O
in	O
October	O
2002	O
following	O
several	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
reports	O
on	O
IT	O
Strategies	O
for	O
the	O
NHS	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
1	O
April	O
2005	O
a	O
new	O
agency	O
called	O
NHS	B-Application
Connecting	I-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
(	O
CfH	O
)	O
was	O
formed	O
to	O
deliver	O
the	O
programme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
refusal	O
of	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
to	O
make	O
"	O
concrete	O
,	O
objective	O
information	O
about	O
NPfIT	B-Application
's	O
progress	O
 [ ... ] 	O
available	O
to	O
external	O
observers	O
"	O
,	O
nor	O
even	O
to	O
MPs	O
,	O
attracted	O
significant	O
criticism	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
issues	O
which	O
in	O
April	O
2006	O
prompted	O
23	O
academics	O
in	O
computer-related	O
fields	O
to	O
raise	O
concerns	O
about	O
the	O
programme	O
in	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
to	O
the	O
Health	O
Select	O
Committee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
Public	O
Accounts	O
Committee	O
said	O
that	O
although	O
the	O
National	B-Application
Programme	I-Application
for	I-Application
IT	I-Application
had	O
been	O
effectively	O
disbanded	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
some	O
large	O
regional	O
contracts	O
and	O
other	O
costs	O
remained	O
outstanding	O
and	O
were	O
still	O
costing	O
the	O
public	O
dearly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
described	O
the	O
former	O
National	B-Application
Programme	I-Application
for	I-Application
IT	I-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
worst	O
and	O
most	O
expensive	O
contracting	O
fiascos	O
"	O
ever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
costs	O
of	O
the	O
venture	O
should	O
have	O
been	O
lessened	O
by	O
the	O
contracts	O
signed	O
by	O
the	O
IT	O
providers	O
making	O
them	O
liable	O
for	O
huge	O
sums	O
of	O
money	O
if	O
they	O
withdrew	O
from	O
the	O
project	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
when	O
Accenture	O
withdrew	O
in	O
September	O
2006	O
,	O
then	O
Director-General	O
for	O
NPfIT	B-Application
Richard	O
Granger	O
charged	O
them	O
not	O
£1bn	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
contract	O
permitted	O
,	O
but	O
just	O
£63m	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NPfIT	B-Application
was	O
focussed	O
on	O
delivering	O
the	O
NHS	O
Care	O
Record	O
Service	O
to	O
GPs	O
,	O
acute	O
and	O
primary	O
hospitals	O
,	O
medical	O
clinics	O
and	O
local	O
hospitals	O
and	O
surgeries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accenture	O
had	O
full	O
responsibility	O
for	O
the	O
North	O
East	O
and	O
East/East	O
Midlands	O
clusters	O
until	O
January	O
2007	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
handed	O
over	O
the	O
bulk	O
of	O
its	O
responsibilities	O
to	O
the	O
CSC	O
,	O
retaining	O
responsibility	O
for	O
Picture	B-Application
archiving	I-Application
and	I-Application
communication	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
PACS	B-Application
)	O
rollout	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
their	O
responsibilities	O
were	O
subsequently	O
transferred	O
to	O
BT	O
Health	O
except	O
for	O
PACS	B-Application
which	O
was	O
transferred	O
to	O
the	O
CSC	O
Alliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connecting	B-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
retains	O
responsibility	O
for	O
the	O
contracts	O
with	O
the	O
LSPs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2006	O
,	O
ComMedica	O
's	O
contract	O
for	O
supply	O
of	O
PACS	B-Application
to	O
the	O
North-West/West	O
-Midlands	O
cluster	O
was	O
terminated	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
were	O
replaced	O
by	O
GE	O
Healthcare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
CSC	O
Alliance	O
,	O
Accenture	O
and	O
Connecting	B-Application
for	I-Application
Health	I-Application
signed	O
a	O
tripartite	O
agreement	O
that	O
as	O
of	O
January	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
CSC	O
Alliance	O
would	O
take	O
over	O
the	O
responsibility	O
for	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
care	O
systems	O
the	O
North	O
East	O
and	O
Eastern	O
clusters	O
from	O
Accenture	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
PACS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accenture	O
now	O
retains	O
only	O
a	O
small	O
presence	O
in	O
the	O
city	O
for	O
the	O
delivery	O
of	O
its	O
PACS	B-Application
responsibilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
Southern	O
Cluster	O
care	O
systems	O
were	O
subsequently	O
transferred	O
to	O
BT	O
Health	O
except	O
for	O
PACS	B-Application
which	O
was	O
transferred	O
to	O
the	O
CSC	O
Alliance	O
,	O
aligning	O
with	O
the	O
technology	O
deployed	O
by	O
each	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2009	O
Public	O
Accounts	O
Committee	O
(	O
PAC	O
)	O
report	O
noted	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
NPfIT	B-Application
had	O
provided	O
"	O
little	O
clinical	O
functionality	O
...	O
to-date	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NPfIT	B-Application
has	O
been	O
criticised	O
for	O
inadequate	O
attention	O
to	O
security	O
and	O
patient	O
privacy	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Public	O
Accounts	O
Committee	O
noting	O
"	O
patients	O
and	O
doctors	O
have	O
understandable	O
concerns	O
about	O
data	O
security	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
full	O
picture	O
of	O
data	O
security	O
across	O
the	O
NHS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
the	O
NHS	O
Executive	O
won	O
the	O
"	O
Most	O
Heinous	O
Government	O
Organisation	O
"	O
Big	O
Brother	O
Award	O
from	O
Privacy	O
International	O
for	O
its	O
plans	O
to	O
implement	O
what	O
would	O
become	O
the	O
NPfIT	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
the	O
NPfIT	B-Application
won	O
the	O
"	O
Most	O
Appalling	O
Project	O
"	O
Big	O
Brother	O
Award	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
plans	O
to	O
computerise	O
patient	O
records	O
without	O
putting	O
in	O
place	O
adequate	O
privacy	O
safeguards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Daily	O
Telegraph	O
,	O
the	O
head	O
of	O
NPfIT	B-Application
,	O
Richard	O
Granger	O
,	O
'	O
shifted	O
a	O
vast	O
amount	O
of	O
the	O
risk	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
project	O
to	O
service	O
providers	O
,	O
which	O
have	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
that	O
their	O
systems	O
work	O
before	O
being	O
paid.	O
'	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
28	O
September	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
consultancy	O
Accenture	O
announced	O
its	O
intention	O
to	O
withdraw	O
from	O
£2bn	O
of	O
10-year	O
contracts	O
with	O
NPfIT	B-Application
,	O
which	O
were	O
taken	O
over	O
in	O
January	O
2007	O
by	O
the	O
CSC	O
Alliance	O
–	O
both	O
Accenture	O
and	O
CSC	O
laid	O
blame	O
with	O
iSOFT	O
,	O
although	O
CSC	O
has	O
said	O
it	O
will	O
be	O
retaining	O
iSOFT	O
as	O
its	O
software	O
provider	O
for	O
all	O
its	O
clusters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2018	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Fujitsu	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
paid	O
"	O
hundreds	O
of	O
millions	O
of	O
pounds	O
"	O
in	O
settlement	O
of	O
a	O
legal	O
dispute	O
stretching	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
National	B-Application
Programme	I-Application
for	I-Application
IT	I-Application
when	O
their	O
£896	O
million	O
contract	O
was	O
terminated	O
.	O
</s>
