The Use of a Formalised Risk Model in NHS Information System Development

Information systems (IS) and technology are used extensively throughout the National Health Service (NHS), and the 1998 national information strategy, ‘Information for Health’, sets out how the NHS will be developing and implementing IS to support patient care within the next decade. This new IS initiative is set against a mixed record of success of IS projects in the NHS, with a number of high-profile failures. This paper highlights the need to consider the ‘organisational issues’ involved in systems implementation to avoid failures. It goes on to advocate the use of a process-oriented and organisation studies-based model for risk analysis and management for use in NHS IS projects. Two famous NHS case studies are used to validate the model. It is concluded that there is a real need in the NHS for tools to better control the inherent risks involved in IS development and implementation. Ultimately, the success of IS projects in the NHS is crucial if they want to best utilise clinical and patient information, with the overall aim of improving the efficiency and standard of the nation’s health care.