rileyuk.co.uk

Post by **Mike** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:48 pm

There was a news item on the NHS this morning where the interviewed person claimed that the huge super computing project was being forced ont he NHS and they were more interested on spending ?300 million a year on services. I wonder if we will ever know the really effects / efficiency improvement for the super database. . . . I think it is more likely to be scrapped and another one quietly bought which is more efficient and leaner! It is always the first one which fails so dramatically. . . .

Post by **johnriley1uk** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:51 pm

Government computer projects don't work because of a total lack of coordination and responsibility on the grand scale that is attempted.

Too many committees and not enough common sense.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:37 pm

Ugh, don't get me started on government IT projects. Inadequate testing and quality assurance come to mind, and I'm hoping the problems with the Job Centre and Child Support Agency don't repeat themselves. I fear it will only be a matter of time.

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:36 am

everything modern government touches suffer from the same thing; far too paperwork and not enough action. cut out the pencil pushers and let people get on with fixing things

Post by **Mike** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:45 am

It also suffers from not thinking about quality or stability only the next big headline to impress voters. People would be more impressed if the Government did simple quality services in preference to complicated faulty service.

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:29 pm

I have been kinda lucky with the the governments IT solution. I am not one of the ones who has recieved an overpayment of child tax credits. In fact they haven't given us a penny since the computer system lost all record of us having a kid. We are now fighting hard to get her back on the system.

I know this doen't sound lucky but at least I am chasing them for money not the other way round. The problem with many goverment services is that the chapest tenderer is often viewed as being just the same as the most expensive but cheaper, so they use second or third rate developers and suprise suprise they get a second or third rate product. I mean how hard can it be?

Post by **johnriley1uk** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:37 pm

The government have had dince 1948 to get the NHS right. It's never been right, basically because the free-at-point-of-delivery system is totally open ended and will cost as much as we are prepared to pay.

As for IT, well......

Post by **Mike** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:07 am

John Knight wrote:In fact they haven't given us a penny since the computer system lost all record of us having a kid. We are now fighting hard to get her back on the system.

Case and point. Computer says she does not exist therefore how can she exist? It will be the sort of logic that gets all your bank accounts closed because a central computer does not admit you exist therefore you can not have a bank account!

Crazy

I hope they make her into a real person again soon!

Post by **johnriley1uk** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:28 am

An SF story about this was written in the 1960s. Can't remember what it was called, but here it is coming true. Amazing.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:42 am

If Mr. Knight's situation is anything like where I work, they should just be able to rebuild the claim (there's always birth certificates to check, etc). How long that takes is another question. I know I'm in a different place, but I have never, ever, seen someone deleted entirely. Although if it's before an NI number's been assigned, it may be possible.

Don't worry Mike, I'm sure everyone there believes she exists, it's just they can't pay it until they do get some record of her back on. The joys of computers. Could be worse: when there were actually cards that got physically stamped for NI contributions (hence "NI stamps") fires/other damage/loss could also do bad stuff. No system's perfect.

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:12 pm

mr_e wrote:No system's perfect.

then why are we being asked to rely on them so much?

Post by **Mike** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:32 am

I suppose that system could describe more than IT. It could be that a paper system is less efficient and more error prone.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:46 pm

The main problem expenditure-wise is fraud and error (both government, although not so much of the fraud, and customers), although I've not yet seen an attempt to quantify how much of the error side is due to buggy software/hardware.

Data flow is the key to most modern business, so without some kind of IT system, we'd all be doing a lot of things by phone or post, ie. very slowly or not at all. On a cynical note, it does also allow work to be shipped overseas where labour is cheaper.

Post by **Mike** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:32 am

I received a survey from the NHS this morning. It was very strange asking me all about the service from my GP. All I know about my GP is that it was easy to join their surgery. I have not needed an appointment, I have not needed to go there in an emergency and I have had no further dealings with them.

It almost does not seem fair on the GP to send it back. How can I be objective analyst. I bet this is going on up and down the country and complete weirdo's like me will be judging the service levels. . . .

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:42 pm

surveys tend to be filled out by complete weirdoes - i stick 'em in the bin