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NHS People - free Internet for NHS Employess
NEWS RELEASE
Date 13 September 1999
NHS GETS FREE ACCESS TO INTERNET ^ AND MONEY BACK TOO!
BBC Newsnight Expose' Triggers New Internet Initiative for NHS
The first Internet service to put money directly back into the NHS while
giving free access to the Internet and the World Wide Web for all NHS staff
is to be launched next month, it was announced today.
NHSpeople.net will provide immediate Internet access at the cost of a local
phone call exclusively for all staff of the NHS ^ with the profits from the
network being ploughed directly back into the NHS, and benefit for
individual staff as well.
The recent success of Freeserve, with 1.3 million users, and other free
Internet service providers, has demonstrated what can be achieved.
But, unlike other service providers, NHSpeople.net will be ploughing the
profits from the network directly back into the NHS, through participating
PCGs, Projects and Hospital Trusts, to benefit NHS patients and staff.
While NHSpeople.net is designed to reach the parts that NHSnet and GPnet
can't - particularly personal and home use - inevitably some will see
NHSpeople.net as a potential rival to NHSnet, the network owned and run by
BT and Cable&Wireless.
NHSnet has had a history of access and service problems. As recently
reported by BBC Newsnight, many GPs and Trusts having lost confidence in its
ability to provide a secure and reliable service for the biggest
organisation in Europe.
By contrast, NHSpeople.net's service is being provided by UUNET who have an
unparalleled reputation and were the first provider to guaranteed 100%
service availability.
In addition to this NHSpeople.net will be launching sophisticated strong
encryption facilities - a toolkit available free to the NHS - to guarantee
levels of security that match the real needs of the NHS. This will has been
designed to be easy for even novices to use. It will be equally applicable
for both NHSpeople.net and NHSnet.
Professor Mike Wells, one of the founding fathers of JANET (the UK's Joint
Academic Network - the academic communities' means of connection to the
Internet) commented, "It is now over fifteen years since the UK Universities
& Research Councils started to operate JANET. JANET still provides
effectively unlimited, centrally funded, access for all staff and students
in Universities and Research Councils to what is now the Internet. The
benefits to those studying and working in the UK's academic sector in terms
of ease of communication, and ability to share information and work
collaboratively have been immense.
"It is surely time for those working in the NHS to enjoy something similar."
Barry James, Director of NHSpeople.net, said, "The Internet is now part of
the furniture for most people in the UK. "
"It is astounding that the NHS has yet to realise the kinds of benefits
which even much smaller organisations have been enjoying - some for ten
years or more. NHSpeople.net will provide everyone in the NHS with the means
to securely communicate between themselves and the rest of the NHS -
including those on NHSnet."
"Our IMPACT surveys show that there are thousands of people working in the
NHS who are keen to get the benefits of electronic communication, some of
whom have accounts with Freeserve or whatever but many who don't, yet."
"Equally, there are thousands of doctors, clinicians and NHS managers who
are frustrated at the limitations of the current Internet provision within
the NHS, who are crying out for reliable, secure electronic communications."
"NHSpeople.net will provide both groups of people with extremely reliable,
secure and usable communications and Internet access, all the time ensuring
that their use of the service will be putting hard cash directly back into
the NHS and the patients they care for.‰
Barry James is confident that NHSpeople.net will show what can be done with
the current technology - more an implicit 'benchmark' than a competitor.
"We are delighted to be working with UUNET who are perhaps the world's
leading Internet provider for business and famed as the providers of PIPEX
Dial. They are providing us and our users with the Crème de la crème of
Internet access."
As BBC Newsnight concluded, the levels of support available to NHSnet users
has been reported to be very patchy and NHSpeople.net will be addressing
this with an email based service tailored to the NHS and NHS use of
networking - backed up by low cost telephone support.
"We also have a number of other important announcements in the pipeline
which will including a catalogue of 'staff benefits', packages and offers
now being compiled specifically for NHS people".
"Apart from which there will be some real surprises along the way, so watch
this space!"
Compaq are supporting this exciting initiative by providing a high end
Proliant server. Search engine and a range of other advanced Internet
facilities are also in the pipeline from a global league Internet player.
NHS employees are invited to pre-register for NHSpeople.net at
www.wwm-uk.net/nhspeople via Fax 07070 607651 or by email at
NHSpeople@nhsimpact.net
Ends.
oo______________________________________________________________________oo
Barry E James
www.wwm-uk.net
barry.james@wwm-uk.net
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