IT programme in Northern Ireland


A ten year Information and Communication Programme (ICT) was launched in March 2005 by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. The following projects are included in the remit of the programme:
  • Electronic Record - a unique electronic record for each individual in Northern Ireland. This would contain structured data, text and images generated from a variety of sources.
  • Health and Care Number (HCN) project - providing a unique identifier for each patient.
  • Primary Care ICT Programme - This includes the GP ICT Modernisation project which has enabled access to secure email, the internet and Trust Intranets for all GP practices in Northern Ireland.
  • Person-centred Community Information System (PCIS) - to deliver a single integrated community health and social care record for all patients receiving community based services
  • Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACs) - a national digital imaging system.
  • Electronic Prescribing in Hospitals
  • Electronic Prescribing and Eligibility System (EPES) - Any claim for an exemption from prescription charges, on the grounds of being in receipt of Social Security Benefit, will be automatically checked against Social Security computers.

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