It is likely that IT, as a key element of investment in the public sector over the last ten years of Tony Blair’s premiership, will be a central priority for his successor, Gordon Brown.
That’s according to Eric Woods, Government practice leader at analyst firm Ovum as Gordon Brown moves into Number 10. He said IT Brown would be looking for payback in the National Health Service (NHS), education, local government and criminal justice.
“There is an opportunity for IT investment to be seen as a positive contribution to service improvement, and not an inevitable source of disaster and disappointment,” he said. “We can expect to hear much more about the use of PACS in hospitals, online vehicle licensing, and e-learning in schools, for example.”
But Woods predicts little change in the area of IT investment policy. Woods said: “Much of the current strategy has already been set or endorsed by the Treasury under Gordon Brown's leadership.” He did point to a possible shift in language however, with less emphasis on choice and private sector involvement and more focus on the strengths of public service provision.
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