Another desperate attempt to get NHS computers working

A confectionery and soft drinks executive and the man in charge of programming the nation's pensions have been appointed to take charge of the largest civilian IT project in the world, the Government has announced (David Rose writes).

The Department of Health has named Christine Connelly, formerly of Cadbury-Schweppes, and Martin Bellamy, of the Department for Work and Pensions, jointly to head the mammoth $24.9 BILLION overhaul of NHS computer systems, formerly the highest-paid job in Whitehall. As The Times reported in April, the previous head of the project, Richard Granger, earned $540,000 to $570,000 a year.

Mr Granger, the former director-general of NHS IT, resigned last year after five years. The Government has split his job into two - each advertised for around $400,000 - costing the taxpayer potentially 40 per cent more in managerial wage bills for the project.

The NHS National Programme for IT, designed to link 300 hospitals with thousands of GP surgeries, is running up to two years late in parts and has been repeatedly criticised by auditors, doctors and patients.

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Australia: Old lady waits 40 hours in public hospital corridor for surgery

A 40-hour wait for emergency surgery has made health the most important West Australian election issue for pensioners Cathy and Arthur Wardle. Mrs Wardle, 73, arrived at Royal Perth Hospital's emergency department with gallstone pains at noon last Saturday. She did not have surgery until Monday afternoon.

Most of her time was spent waiting on a trolley in a hospital corridor. "I was calm and collected until a nursing co-ordinator told me I was privileged to be lying in a corridor," Mrs Wardle said. "It's not good enough what is happening to people in our hospitals."

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