MTAS and other NHS websites

[ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk]

>> You and I know that one-off goofs are no such thing, but are evidence
>> of deeper process failure. You and I know that behind a security
>> incident that gets found by a third party there are a hundred that
>> went unseen, and should have been followed up as `near misses' but
>> rarely are.
>>
>> But you're talking to the profession that has resisted clinical audit
>> for generations, and is only in recent years waking up to the idea
>> that you can't just dismiss things as one-off goofs. Vickyvicky
>> would presumably have sat in meetings in Bristol and said ``one-off
>> goof'' of each child that didn't make it. Or if s/he wouldn't,
>> perhaps s/he could explain why this case is any less of an example of
>> a deeper failure.
>>
> There is a lot about MTAS at http://ferretfancier.blogspot.com/. It
> appears to be rotten through and through.
>
> The post at
> http://ferretfancier.blogspot.com/search/label/MTAS%20point%20what
> comments on the 10th May state of the MTAS web site.
>
> Peter


You misunderstand my position.

I too am appalled by the way in which the MTAS system has abused =20
doctors, and have been very critical of it.

You have misinterpreted my comments about the one-off goof. I agree =20
with you that it is symptomatic of extremely poor security and =20
extremely poor management at many levels. I made the statement in the =20
context that it was a one-off goof which *in itself* would not have =20
led to the service being taken off line for days on end. MTAS is still =20
off-line. This makes me think the data is lying in a smouldering heap, =20
possibly irretrievably damaged. The placing of an excel file in a =20
public area would not have caused this degree of damage to the =20
underlying data.

Your point about audit is uncalled for and unfair. The medical =20
profession has used audit as a tool for many years, going right back =20
to Hippocrates and the use of post-mortems. With regard to the cardiac =20
surgeons at Bristol, you are particularly unfair, since cardiac =20
surgeons work with very hard data (survived/died) and were very aware =20
of their figures. AIUI the surgeons were keen to discontinue certain =20
types of surgery, but were pressurised into continuing, and there were =20
no other surgeons locally available.

MTAS was not introduced by the medical profession. It was imposed on =20
us against our will. I am only too aware of the faults in the system.

Sorry for my delay in replying.




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