Quicksilva thoughts...

Readers of the more Westminster-oriented blogs have heard rumours of dark operations for a while and it is amazing to see how the smear agenda has dominated the mainstream media for several days. The exposure has resulted in an undisciplined stampede of journalists keen to disassociate themselves from what many must have known has been an unhealthy status quo for some time. Interesting stories are now emerging and given its importance in Westminster, the health sector does not miss out.

This is an old story, though it appears more significant than it did at the time given recent events. It features Ross Anderson, a respected figure in the field of security engineering and critic of the NPfIT. Private emails sent by him were obtained by Lord Warner and read out in the House of Lords. It is unclear how these emails were obtained, despite Freedom of Information requests to shed light on the matter, ironically adding further weight to the data-privacy concerns he raises.

It is no coincidence that Mr. Anderson was one of the authors of the recent Rowntree Reform Trust's report on government databases and issues of data-privacy are being raised ever more frequently. The NPfIT has been a political talking point since its inception but could we be seeing early signs of it becoming one of the battle-grounds for a forthcoming election?

Quicksilva thoughts...

The figures quoted in this story are amazing;

• "62 Trillion Spam emails are sent globally every year"

• "A day without spam amounted to taking 2.2 million cars off the road"

• "A study into spam has blamed it for the production of more than 33bn kilowatt-hours of energy every year, enough to power more than 2.4m homes."

I have often wondered, whilst deleting unsolicited emails from my inbox, how much time I spend a year doing so and who would ever click on these adverts and give their financial details away. It is now clear that it is having a massive impact on the environment to rival even more traditional targets such as car emissions and the burning of fossil fuels.

According to the article, filters and anti-virus software are only dampening the issue; we should be looking more to the source of the emails, the automated bots that routinely send spam to your inbox. Last year turning one of these 'bots' off, global spam volume fell by 70%. I hope in the future we will be able to find and turn off more 'bots' - reducing spam output and lessening the impact on the environment.

Quicksilva thoughts...

Big brother strikes again...?! So, they can see 'data' patterns' but are not logging the 'contents' of your emails etc... who do they think they are trying to kid?! I believe this is another one of those 'disasters waiting to happen' scenarios that shall be plastered over the news yet again, when another data leak happens with highly sensitive information.

How many 'terrorist acts' do they think they will reduce? Tax payer's money will be used in vain (again) to pay the salaries of the hundreds of jobs that will no doubt be created to capture these 'data patterns'. The cost alone for setting this system up runs into the billions!!

Primary goal achieved? I can't possibly think so. We shall see...!

Quicksilva thoughts...

This report re-emphasises the arguments we see regarding the deployment of national applications by the likes of NHS CFH in that the occurrence of poor data quality reinforces the need to ensure that clinicians are engaged more closely in system design and performance review at the earliest opportunity.

Mid Surrey PCT have taken an interesting approach to overcoming this challenge by developing a service vision alongside a range of personal and service incentives, designed to deliver key changes in management and clinical practice.

In Wiltshire we are seeing the development of joint venture organisations coming out of discussions and collaborations between GPs and community based clinicians that as co-business owners have a vested interest in producing high quality data to meet local needs.

These new lean organisations like Wiltshire Medical Services and Access to Care are putting in place "best practice" governance structures to access the highest quality information at the sharp end through making demands on the need for local and national systems integration.

Quicksilva thoughts...

And about time too... when I was a wee nipper, my parents would hardly ever see me (lucky for them)... if I was not climbing a tree, I’d be building a den with my buddies... or racing down the street on my bike... rafting on the river... the good old days I say... I was fit, healthy and had a glow about me.

A generation on, and a group of children playing out on the street is a rare sight indeed! Such a shame. Where are all the little rascals? They are all cooped up inside, glued to their Gameboys, Xboxes and Wii what nots...surely such gaming pastimes are somewhat detrimental to their mental and emotional development (relative to the more wholesome aforementioned alternatives)... not to mention their physical health... vitamin D deficiency springs to mind... as does obesity... too much sitting around on one's bottom never benefited anyone’s hips or belly! Commission the study...