The Department of Health (DoH) has set up a body to represent the interest of patients in the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

Health Minister John Hutton said the Care Record Development Board (CRDB) "will ensure the NHS develops patient-centred care processes that are supported by the IT being delivered by the National Programme". He said its work will enable wider consultation on the development the NHS Care Records Service.

Harry Cayton, DoH's director for patients and public, will chair the board, supported by Sir Cyril Chantler, chair of the King's fund and Talib Yaseem, director of nursing for North Cumbria acute hospitals NHS trust. A third deputy is still to be appointed.

Board members will be drawn from a variety of disciplines, with representatives from a broad mix of patients and service users, health and social care professionals with experience of service delivery and a range of expertise.

A spokesman for the NPfIT told The Register that the CRDB will identify the areas where work is needed to inform the development of the NPfIT. Teams will investigate areas such as electronic prescribing, and their findings will be put to the NPfIT board.

The new body replaces the Patients Advisory Board and the National Clinical Advisory Board. The idea is that it will be able to take a wider and more consultative approach than its predecessors, so that there is relevant clinical and patient input into the way in which the NHS Care Records Service is developed. ®

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