NHS To Be Switched Over to Open Source

Jon Hoeksma | E-Health Insider | April 1, 2011

The new integrated NHS Mastadon clinical system will be developed specifically for the English NHS over the next six months by developers working offshore in the Faroe Islands. Open source experts welcomed the government's dramatic conversion to the potential of open source software for healthcare, but questioned whether they had fully grasped the concept.

Eschewing existing highly successful open source clinical systems, most notably the US Veteran Administration’s Vista system, the British government has instead decided topay to have an NHS-specific ‘open source’ system built for it from the ground up. “Open source is a great option for the NHS, the software is free and supported by a highly capable international community who work together collaboratively,” said one insider. "It also helps avoid lock-in to proprietory systems."