Chair's statement on GP Extraction Service: investigation

Failed government IT projects have long been an expensive cliché and, sadly for the taxpayer and service user, this is no exception. The expected cost of the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES), an IT system which allows data to be extracted from all GP practices in England, ballooned from £14 million to £40 million during planning, with at least £5.5 million wasted on write-offs and delay costs.

GPES has managed to provide data for just one customer – NHS England – and the data was received four years later than originally planned. While taxpayers are left picking up the tab for this failure, customers who could benefit, such as research and clinical audit organisations, are waiting around for the system to deliver what they need to improve our health service.

Further information 

• National Audit Office report: General Practice Extraction Service – Investigation
• About Parliament: Select Committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: iStockphoto