News > Using electronic media

Gordon Brown, speaking at the Smarter Government conference this week, has outlined plans to encourage much greater use of information, online services and text messaging in the NHS as part of a public sector wide information revolution that he claims will save billions every year. The Prime Minister told conference delegates that the UK was entering the “third generation of public services”, in which there would be a radial shift of power to public sector users.

These plans are outlined in a paper ‘Putting the frontline first: smarter government’,  and include making the vast majority of government transactional services online only and encouraging public services to use electronic communications. The Prime Minister said that evidence from local authorities had shown that switching a telephone transaction online could save £3.30 and switching a paper and mail transaction online £12. He added: “Using text messages to remind people of GP appointments can help save on the £600m annual cost to the NHS of missed appointments - that is the equivalent of 24 new secondary schools, or over 13,000 nurses.”

The government claims the prevention of just 20 missed appointments could cover the costs of setting up such systems.

Taken from ehealth insider www.e-health-insider.com/news/5450/brown_streamlines_government_with_it

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