About me
Bookshop

Get new posts by email.

About me

MTAS designer rehired after £1.9m failure

Alan Johnson

MTAS was the utter failure of a computer system which was designed to match doctors to jobs but instead merely spewed out personal data onto unprotected parts of the internet leading to criminal proceedings and an unprecedented crisis in the training of junior doctors. It was hardly the government’s finest hour, and we’re still on course for crisis on 1st August as a huge number of doctors will be unemployed.

Earlier this week, it was stealthily revealed by the Department of Health that this now defunct system cost £1.9 million. That’s the same as over 70,000 GP consultations, which I think many people may consider a better use of the money. That cost is merely for the system itself – the upset it has caused through it’s failure and the contemptible lack of contingency planning is estimated by some to run into billions of pounds.

Taxpayers’ money well spent.

The private company whose designed the MTAS computer system, using some of that £1.9m, is Methods Consulting. Just to remind you, MTAS spewed personal data onto unprotected websites, and failed to perform its basic function of matching doctors to jobs.

Guess who’s now helping to design the computer service for the National Care Records Service, a program for storing highly sensitive medical records on a national network? Methods Consulting.

Yes, the company behind the biggest data security failure ever in the NHS is now being trusted with your medical records. And, of course, with a huge amount of taxpayers’ money.

Is there any private company on Earth that would give the job of helping design a highly sensitive computer system to a company that failed to secure a previous system with so much as a basic password? It just seems an utterly moronic decision.

This company has committed one of the biggest failings of NHS data security in its history. There is no question in my mind that they should be removed from the National Care Records Service programme immediately. And why are we paying a company so much money for a system that simply didn’t work?

These are things which Alan Johnson needs to tackle now if he’s to have any chance of regaining the trust and restoring the morale of doctors in this country. I have little faith, but I sincerely hope he can restore it.

This post was filed under: Health, News and Comment.

Recently published posts

Winifred Carney / 05 November 2024

Sincere and true / 04 November 2024

Tick tock, McKee Clock / 03 November 2024

Apostrophe / 02 November 2024

The bells, the bells / 01 November 2024

Happy Hallowe’en / 31 October 2024




Random posts from the archive




Comments and responses

Comment from Mort Karman


    18.50, 15/07/2007

I hate to say this, but at least MC will be busy screwing up your systems-so they will be to busy to come over here and work for our government.
If they really screw up, however, a job in the Bush administration awaits them.


Comment from Coire


    08.45, 16/07/2007

Gah! Don’t put so much in bold!! It makes you look like the Sun!

Hope you’re still enjoying your elective!
Cx


Comment from sjhoward (author of the post)


    02.31, 17/07/2007

Shouldn’t complain about looking like the biggest selling and most politically influential newspaper in the country… but I get your point – I’ll consider my wrists duly slapped!

My elective is still as fabulous as ever – just started my Family Practice attachment today, located on a retail park, appropriately next door to “Loonie Land”. 😉

Hope the exams are going well! Good luck for Thursday and Friday!




Compose a new comment

I'm not taking comments on my blog any more, so I'm afraid the opportunity to add to this discussion has passed.




The content of this site is copyright protected by a Creative Commons License, with some rights reserved. All trademarks, images and logos remain the property of their respective owners. The accuracy of information on this site is in no way guaranteed. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author. No responsibility can be accepted for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information provided by this site. Information about cookies and the handling of emails submitted for the 'new posts by email' service can be found in the privacy policy. This site uses affiliate links: if you buy something via a link on this site, I might get a small percentage in commission. Here's hoping.