User influence on the technology developments in the NHS has been stepped up with the appointment of Professor Aidan Halligan as joint Director of the National IT Programme. He will share the role with Richard Granger, who is currently Director General. 

Without co-ordinated action across Government, the next few years could see an increase in social exclusion. The trends that are exposing more people to the risk of exclusion include an increasing premium on skills, an ageing population with more social care needs, greater ethnic diversity and a growing proportion of single person households. 

The Working with Business National Project has been developed to provide local authorities with a framework within which they can develop and improve the online provision of information and transactional services for local businesses. The project will offer a range of products designed to enable local authorities to support their local businesses more efficiently and effectively.