Should decisions about government IT be made centrally or locally?

As with every aspect of the NHS, the history of healthcare IT in Britain is essentially a tug of war between local and central control.

Right now, local has the stronger team, at least when it comes to rhetoric... Congratulations, then, to the Institute for Government think tank for making the thoroughly unfashionable case for some central control of IT across the public sector. In an interesting, and unusually historically aware, report called Installing New Drivers, the institute daringly proposes that "the centre needs to do more".

By the centre, it means the Cabinet Office. Over the past 40 years, this assembly of high fliers and policy wonks has had a fluctuating influence over the rest of government in matters of IT.

Click here to read the rest of the article by the NHS Resource Centre's Mike Cross.
Click here to download and read the IFG's report.