Full Lorenzo benefits expected 2012

31 Jan 2008

Latest plans for the delivery of the Lorenzo next generation clinical software system under the NHS IT programme show it is not expected to be fully implemented until 2012.

The strategic software, currently under development by iSoft, is to be delivered by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in the North, East and Midlands, to three-fifths of the English NHS. Development and delivery of the software is running several years late.

Under the latest plans drawn up by CFH, CSC and local SHAs it is now envisaged that Lorenzo will be rolled out in four distinct phases, building to what is now termed Lorenzo Regional Care (LRC).

Three NHS areas, South Birmingham, Morecambe Bay and Bradford & Airedale, are preparing to take the first version of Lorenzo.

The four release strategy was confirmed by CSC in a statement issued to EHI: The Lorenzo development is continuing on plan and we are in the final stages of agreeing the roll-out of this new platform with the first release being available in 2008. The new Lorenzo platform is being delivered in four releases which offers greater flexibility and earlier access to clinical functionality.”

Asked how software development was progressing, CSC said: “NHS Connecting for Health has visited the development centre in Chennai and remains pleased with progress. The first release will be deployed to a set of early adopters who have been working with CSC since earlier 2007. These are the local health communities of South Birmingham, Morecambe Bay and Bradford & Airedale. We have been actively demonstrating Lorenzo to clinicians and managers across our regions and have received extremely positive feedback.”

Release one (R1), which several pilot sites are currently working on, is planned to include orders, results reporting, clinical documentation and assessments. This would be delivered ahead of an integrated Lorenzo PAS becoming available

Release two (R2) adds an integrated PAS and mental health functionality. Release three (R3) would add drugs management, scheduling and beds management. Finally release four (R4) would add integrated care pathways and an integrated GP system.

The very earliest possible release and roll-out schedule for Lorenzo R4 is shown as beginning 2009 and running into mid-2011.

The report says the release schedule indicates that a high level of implementation work will be required in 2008/2009/2010.

The plans are set out in SHA board papers, which stress the release timescales remain contingent on software being delivered to schedule and local acceptance. “There is still much to discuss with local health economies in terms of their plans.”

A benefits realisation paper from West Midlands SHA, seen by EHI, makes clear 2012 is the earliest realistic date for benefits of a regional shared electronic records system could be achieved. “Being realistic, it means that we should be setting a target that by 2012, we will seek to achieve the above [benefits of shared Lorenzo system] by exploiting the National Programme Lorenzo Regional care System releases as they become available...”

West Midlands SHA says it is working with consultants Gartner to map the anticipated benefits of Lorenzo Regional Care to its delivery.

Reader's Comments

EPR model

31 Jan 08 08:30

The 6 level EPR model is now the 4 level Lorenzo strategy. What goes round comes around !

Too little, too late

31 Jan 08 10:17

Many specialised clinical systems already have most of this functionality, so another four years to be where you were when all this started. What about clinical decision support systems? Have they been lost in the "resetting" of contracts?

Four years back to where iSoft started!

01 Feb 08 09:26

>>Release one (R1), which several pilot sites are currently working on, is planned to include orders, results reporting, clinical documentation and assessments. This would be delivered ahead of an integrated Lorenzo PAS becoming available<<

So R1 is order comms with a little clinical functionality in a-semi independent system from the PAS - sounds like iCM (clinical modules)and iPM (PAS), walks like iCM and iPM (down to the exact same functionality) and quacks like iPM and iCM circa 2000.

Lorenzo was slated for 2004 delivery at the outset of NPfIT for goodness sake!

What have the legions of programmers in Chennai been doing the last four years? Surely they weren't all working on Lorenzo Flash-animation screenshots?

Says it all really.

01 Feb 08 16:23

"West Midlands SHA says it is working with consultants Gartner to map the anticipated benefits of Lorenzo Regional Care to its delivery." So we're still expecting these consultants to "help" us are we? I thought the projected benefits were all included in the OBS of so many years ago. (Post edited by EHI)

So roughly speaking ...

nhstechie@btinternet.com

02 Feb 08 17:06

R1 replaces iCM functionality - integrated with iPM, R2 replaces iPM functionality but both are part of the same object-oriented application.

To be fair to West Midlands SHA, the majority of benefits described in the OBS back in 2002 should have been delivered by now, so no wonder they want to remap them against the latest draft timetable to explain to folk just how much longer they'll have to wait.

I'm afraid the roller-coaster allegory doesn't work for me, the thrilling part of a roller-coaster ride is the sheer speed. This feels more like hiking through quicksand on a dark night with no torch whilst carrying a 60lb backpack. Dangerous and scary, but not very exciting.

Medicines Managment & Clinical Decision Support

04 Feb 08 11:36

I do hope that after all this time (by the time the medicines management functioinality is delivered) that clinical decision support functionality is also part of the functionality delivered?

FDBE's recent announcement regarding SNOMED-CT and condition checking was - for example - positive news?

Benefits by 2012 and the rest!

04 Feb 08 21:58

So have I got this right?

Most sites will be able to take Releases R1, R2, R3 and R4 from late 2008 to the end of 2010.

Anyone seen anything other than R1 for early adopters?

So we are going to implement all these releases into the majority of sites in an elapsed time of about 2 years?

What was this programme all about - change management? Transformation?

So wouldn't we have to start now on this change management to achieve these benefits and these timeframes? Wouldn't we have to have all of these releases now on an evaluation environment to start the business change?

What will a few sites have soon? R1 - nothing else yet.

Isn't it rather naïve and not very realistic to suggest benefits will be realised in 2012?

How will it be rolled out, before the LSP says they have delivered? One small pilot of each piece of functionality or a wide cross-section of services/specialties? I hope the latter.

I have less of an issue with the software being late, it happens, but unrealistic and naive expectations being set. Too much.

Let's please stop the fairytales!

CRM CRM CRM

06 Feb 08 16:40

Any major enterprise CRM package can do most of this out of the box or with relatively little customisation. They have been doing it for years in the commercial enviroment...

This is a disgrace. A CRM package could be in pilot stage in 6 months . They is a fair bit of competition in the market place so costs are lower, flexibility is higher and moving CRM is not the end of the world.

It works of the premise is Health industry a Customer Service Industry.

I annoyed by this I worked in CRM for years and have read heavily in Health Informetics. This can be easilly done. So take just a cuple of million and a county pilot and place it into primary care and work your way back into the hospital and then the specialities...

Simple..

CRM technology is well proven and is used in private business as a must have. It tracks your customers, your cases, workflow process. Brillant Integeration with other packages...

The last quote was it would take 6 months on the outside to make them HL7 compliant. This is them taking there time by the way...

Place it in first with little automation and place more in as Benefit/Cost analysis. The framework is there, performance proven.

They got lovely Graphical Process designers...

And most important because they have been around for 10+ years they have plenty of people in te marketplace which know how they work and can customise them easily...

Flexibility is a approach here...