NHS IT project

A review of the NHS IT project is out today. It says costs have grown from £6.2bn to £6.8bn but that the costs won't be born by the tax payer.

I think this is wishful thinking. The contractors - the IT consultancies - will find a way to recoup this money. The key is probably in this phrase ( from the BBC report ).

"It also includes the costs of replacing core contracts that expire before the end of the 10-year period - leading to a total bill in the region of £20bn."

At the end of that period the government will be tied into the IT providers whose renegotiating position will be very good - enabling them to get the money back.

This project should continue to give any tax payer patient real concern. The real costs end up being estimated at £20bn - when we were told it would cost £6bn. If there is nothing substantial to hide then the government won't mind an independant review will it ?