E-hospital shuns NT in favour of Novell

A healthcare trust in North Yorkshire has become one of the first to deliver the government requirements for so-called e-hospitals, shunning Windows NT in favour of Novell kit.

Laura Frewin, Network News

A healthcare trust in North Yorkshire has become one of the first to deliver the government requirements for so-called e-hospitals, shunning Windows NT in favour of Novell kit.

The Pinderfields and Pontefract Hospitals NHS Trust is the only Trust to address the direct referral of patients from a technology route, leaving its counterparts well behind.

Advertisement

It is piloting a live system allowing GPs to make direct bookings online for routine surgery.

Peter Kidd, head of IT for the Trust, said the IT department for hospitals is no longer seen as an operational component and is involved in every aspect of the business.

"The Trust's plan is to focus on developing a robust infrastructure that has the capability to support heterogeneous systems, from proprietary applications on Unix platforms to Java-based solutions on the internet," he said.

Kidd points to the lack of calls to the helpdesk as evidence that the network is a success. He claims the helpdesk can go the whole afternoon without receiving a call.

"Choosing technology that supports open systems and are internet-aware has given us so much more flexibility," he said.

"You need to use the right components - they need to be easy to integrate together to deliver services that can be developed and improved as new technology comes on the market. In my view, an NT infrastructure just doesn't have the coherence to meet our objectives."

The Trust will upgrade to the new version of GroupWise Bulletproof when it is released next year. Kidd has put his trust in Novell despite the company's poor financial showing and doubts about its future.

"Without the GroupWise solution, we would have had to install email servers in every practice at a cost of £10,000 per practice for the Health Authority," he said.

"Although our Patient Information System runs on a proprietary database on a Unix server, Novell's cross-platform, standards-compliant approach means that we can create integrated solutions incorporating these legacy systems."

First published in Network News

  • Have your say
  • Send to a friend
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • Share

Tags:

Do you agree?

Further reading

2004 deadline for NetWare

Netware, Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation 4 all have four years' life left in them, but Windows 95 is viable only for another three years, warns analyst Gartner.

Novell to scrap Managewise tool

Novell plans to stop selling its system management tool, Managewise, and will instead encourage users to migrate to its new Zenworks for Server 2 product that incorporates Managewise features.

What next for Novell?

Only a year ago Novell offered an upbeat assessment of the company's future. Announcements in the past month have clouded that vision.

Novell pins hopes on NetWare 6

Novell's latest beta version of NetWare 6 has confirmed that the troubled software company is abandoning its traditional NetWare user base in favour of making more internet-based products.

Related whitepapers

Related jobs

Most watched

HTC Hero

Hands on with the HTC Hero

V3.co.uk gets a walk through of the Hero, which includes HTC's new Sense overlay for Android

Xperia X1

Video Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

First Looks Editor Ian Williams gets hands on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

IT white papers

Search white papers

Top categories

Poll

Poll: Summer smartphones

Poll: Summer smartphones

Which smartphone will you be taking to the beach this summer?

View poll results

Advertisement

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Enter email address to edit your newsletter preferences

Job of the week

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Hiring now on ComputingCareers:

Related IT jobs

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Spotlight

Carlos Solari

Interview: Bell Labs security chief Carlos Solari

The former FBI and White House CIO shares his views...

Virtual world

Intel outlines the next-generation 'reality web'

Forget Web 2.0, the future is 'immersive connective experience'

PowerPoint 2010

Microsoft spills the beans on Office 2010

Web-based versions of Office apps to be available at no...

HTC Hero

Hands on with the HTC Hero

V3.co.uk gets a walk through of the Hero, which includes...

Primary Navigation