NHS Information Authority
Encyclopedia
The NHS Information Authority (NHSIA) was part of the UK
National Health Service
(NHS). It was established by an Act of Parliament
in 1999. With headquarters in Birmingham
, UK, its aim was to bring together four NHS IT
and Information bodies (NHS Telecoms, FHS, NHS CCC and NHS IMG) to work together to deliver IT infrastructure and information solutions to the NHS in England
. Among its products and services were NHSnet
, the NHS-wide private computer network
enabling NHS bodies to communicate securely, the Exeter system, a suite of computer programs used by Health Authorities for many purposes, NHS Numbers for Babies ("NN4B"), and NHSmail, an NHS-wide e-mail service known for a short time as 'Contact'.
In 2002, the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) was announced by the Department of Health
, initially to work with the NHSIA to deliver the Healthcare IT for the 21st Century white paper
. The programme was hosted by the NHSIA. In 2004, it was announced that as part of an initiative to cut costs and numbers of Arms Length Bodies (ALB's), the NHSIA would be abolished and its work would be divided between the National Programme for IT, which would become an executive agency
in its own right as NHS Connecting for Health
, and a newly created Information Centre for Health and Social Care.
Prior to its closure, the NHSIA was also responsible for overseeing the delivery of the ECDL ("European Computer Driving Licence") qualification to NHS staff via a network of local, internal ECDL test centres.
The NHSIA ceased to exist on 1 April 2005.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(NHS). It was established by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1999. With headquarters in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, UK, its aim was to bring together four NHS IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and Information bodies (NHS Telecoms, FHS, NHS CCC and NHS IMG) to work together to deliver IT infrastructure and information solutions to the NHS in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Among its products and services were NHSnet
NHSNet
NHSnet was a private wide area network service used by the National Health Service in England.NHSnet was managed jointly by BT and Cable and Wireless and was developed under the aegis of the NHS Information Authority. However the standards of service varied widely throughout the NHS due to...
, the NHS-wide private computer network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
enabling NHS bodies to communicate securely, the Exeter system, a suite of computer programs used by Health Authorities for many purposes, NHS Numbers for Babies ("NN4B"), and NHSmail, an NHS-wide e-mail service known for a short time as 'Contact'.
In 2002, the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) was announced by the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
, initially to work with the NHSIA to deliver the Healthcare IT for the 21st Century white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
. The programme was hosted by the NHSIA. In 2004, it was announced that as part of an initiative to cut costs and numbers of Arms Length Bodies (ALB's), the NHSIA would be abolished and its work would be divided between the National Programme for IT, which would become an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
in its own right as NHS Connecting for Health
NHS Connecting for Health
NHS Connecting for Health is part of the UK Department of Health and was formed on 1 April 2005, replacing the former NHS Information Authority. It has the responsibility of delivering the NHS National Programme for IT , an initiative by the Department of Health in England to move the National...
, and a newly created Information Centre for Health and Social Care.
Prior to its closure, the NHSIA was also responsible for overseeing the delivery of the ECDL ("European Computer Driving Licence") qualification to NHS staff via a network of local, internal ECDL test centres.
The NHSIA ceased to exist on 1 April 2005.