Hi Folks, This morning's Eastern Daily Press on-line:
carries a story:
Doctors warn on computers ELAINE MASLIN 21 February 2008 04:35
Health bosses have put thousands of patients' care at risk by failing to upgrade a defunct computer system, GPs claimed yesterday.
Doctors at Reepham's GP practice say they have had to use obsolete computers, which stop them accessing patients' records, for months while waiting for a new system and upgrade.
The article is silent about what the technical aspects of the necessary upgrade are; but further down it states:
The computers were bought in 2003 by the surgery and work on a server more than six years old.
That's very young by Linux standards! I wonder what the problem is ... ??
Best wishes to all, Ted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@manchester.ac.uk Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 21-Feb-08 Time: 08:19:56 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 08:20:00AM -0000, Ted Harding wrote:
That's very young by Linux standards! I wonder what the problem is ... ??
I worked for the NHS briefly in 1999 doing y2k compliance, the main problem was that out of all their IT staff in the trust I was working for there was only 1 with any clue and about 40 of them causing more harm than good. Given the pay scales for IT staff in the NHS I think it is probably a staffing problem rather than a hardware/software problem.
I also remember the utter fuckwittery that was ordering up some hardware, it had to come from an "approved" supplier and be "approved" by senior members of staff. If you needed something you'd have to fill in a form with the product code from the approved supplier, this would then be handed up the chain and back down again taking a week or two. It would also show that the approved suppliers price for said item would be about 6 or 7x the price from DABS. You'd then order the part and it would arrive about a week later in a box covered in tape saying "DABS" on it and with a packing note from DABS, All the "approved supplier" would have done was just order whatever from DABS as it was easier than keeping stock and then they could keep the nice big lump on top and then sit back down to relax on the beach in the carribean they were working from.
Apparently nobody thought that spending £350 (+associated staff time) and 3 weeks acquiring an item that would have been sent next day on a credit card order from DABS was a problem. Funnily enough I worked for the government once more after that and found a similar situation and said sod it and got a real job.
Adam
On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 10:34:18AM +0000, Adam Bower wrote:
On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 08:20:00AM -0000, Ted Harding wrote:
That's very young by Linux standards! I wonder what the problem is ... ??
I worked for the NHS briefly in 1999 doing y2k compliance, the main problem was that out of all their IT staff in the trust I was working for there was only 1 with any clue and about 40 of them causing more harm than good. Given the pay scales for IT staff in the NHS I think it is probably a staffing problem rather than a hardware/software problem.
I think it's generic in government/local government, the salaries paid to "IT Support" people are derisory.
Chris G cl@isbd.net wrote: [...]
I think it's generic in government/local government, the salaries paid to "IT Support" people are derisory.
But paying people is a "revenue budget" matter and has to fit into the government strategic plans, while buying equipment is a "capital budget" item and doesn't need any planning! (I've been told this by a gov.uk worker in all seriousness. I don't think they'd listened to what they were saying recently.)
This is a big hurdle for Free Software in gov.uk - somehow, most licensing fees have been smuggled into the "capital budget". We need to get all of them back under "revenue" where they really belong and where the link between the obscene charges and taxes can be made more easily, without transfers to/from "reserves" obscuring it. Alternatively, get smart people in high places - like the IT officer from bristol.gov.uk - who will make the link, regardless.
Possibly related: I'm currently looking for feedback, particularly from cooperative members, on Local Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Economic Partnerships. See http://planet.alug.org.uk/ These might be a way for other free software workers to influence gov.uk
Thanks,
On Thursday 21 February 2008 10:34:18 Adam Bower wrote:
On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 08:20:00AM -0000, Ted Harding wrote:
That's very young by Linux standards! I wonder what the problem is ... ??
I worked for the NHS briefly in 1999 doing y2k compliance, the main problem was that out of all their IT staff in the trust I was working for there was only 1 with any clue and about 40 of them causing more harm than good. Given the pay scales for IT staff in the NHS I think it is probably a staffing problem rather than a hardware/software problem.
...and this is exactly the sort of thing that makes me wince when I see people lauding Linux adoption by government-associated agencies.
It's all very well having a great bunch of Free and open software, but if it's implemented and maintained by people/processes that make a dogs dinner of it all, it does more harm than good.
A wasteful/incompetent/stupid application of something can be enough to scare people off.
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Adam Bower -
Chris G -
MJ Ray -
Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk -
Ten