Announcing public lecture on 1st of March.

<<008 Connecting for Health.doc>>

EXPERTS TO DISCUSS CONNECTING FOR HEALTH

Healthcare experts Professor Mike Pringle, Sir Jonathan Michael and Robin
Guenier are to discuss the progress of the Connecting for Health programme and
its implications for the healthcare industry at the City University 'Healthcare
Technologies Symposium' on March 1 2006.

This Symposium is the latest in a series of events focusing on current issues in
healthcare technologies. The aim is to create a forum in which a number of
experts will discuss new technological developments, from a wide range of
perspectives, which offer the potential to enhance the organisation and delivery
of healthcare.

The theme for 2006 will be Connecting for Health. This is the revolutionary
programme which will see electric health (and social) care records for all,
electronic prescribing and electronic booking of hospital appointments, made
possible through the provision of a national IT infrastructure.

The panel of eminent speakers will discuss the progress of this Connecting for
Health programme and the challenges that it offers if change is to be brought
about in a manner that will benefit patient, healthcare professional and health
manager alike.

Professor Denis Protti, University of Victoria, comments:

"As aggressive, bold and challenging that Connecting for Health (CfH) might seem
and feel, it is perhaps not that distinctive. Evidence from Sweden, Spain, the
United States and Canada, suggests that characteristics of their approaches have
remarkable similarities to England's. A single, common shared record is not only
alive and well in a number of countries, it appears to be the direction of
travel in others as well. What is different and unique to CfH is its size and
magnitude."

Professor Ewart Carson, City University, comments:

"This revolution, involving massive capital expenditure and huge organisational
and culture change, is altering the face of healthcare delivery for all of us."

The Symposium will take place on Wednesday March 1 2006, starting at 6pm in the
Oliver Thompson Lecture Theatre, City University, London.

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For further media enquiries please contact Helena Clay, City University Press
Office, on 020 7040 8788 or helena.clay.1@...
<mailto:helena.clay.1@...>

Notes to the editor:

The City University was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and was
awarded full university status in 1966. It is based in the heart of London,
close to the City of London, where it contributes significantly to the capital's
academic, cultural and business life. It has almost 11,500 students from more
than 162 countries who benefit from the University's internationally renowned
experience of more than one hundred years' of teaching and learning.

About Professor Mike Pringle

Professor Mike Pringle is Professor of General Practice and Head of the School
of Community Health Sciences in the University of Nottingham. Mike was elected
to the General Medical Council for 3 years from July 2003, and he sits on the
Council of the Medical Defence Union. In the past he has been Chairman of the
Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners (1998-2001) and co-chair
of the External Reference Group and the Implementation Group for the National
Service Framework for diabetes.

About Sir Jonathan Michael

Sir Jonathan Michael has been Chief Executive of Guy's and St Thomas' since
November 2000. Previously he has been a Consultant Physician at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where he was responsible for the development of
what is now the largest kidney unit in the UK. He has been closely involved in
hospital management, serving as Clinical Director, then Medical Director, and
finally Chief Executive of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust

In recognition of his exceptional contribution to the medical world, Sir
Jonathan was awarded his Knighthood in January 2005.

About Robin Guenier

Robin Guenier trained as a barrister and is a writer, speaker and business
consultant. He is interested, in particular, in issues associated with the
impact of new technology on business and society at the beginning of the 21st
century. After twenty successful years as chief executive of various high-tech
businesses, he founded his consultancy, Guenier Ltd., in early 1995. Assignments
since then have included a senior role at Inmarsat (global satellite
communications), Chief Executive of the Central Computing and Telecommunications
Agency, reporting at ministerial level to the U.K. Cabinet Office, and Executive
Director of Taskforce 2000, a non-profit body set up by the British Government's
Department of Trade & Industry to communicate awareness and understanding of the
millennium computer problem.



Current activities include chairmanship of iX Group plc, which uses
internet-related technology for market research and opinion polling. In
particular its Medix business, via a web-based portal for doctors, provides a
service for the pharmaceutical industry, academia and the media. He has a
current special interest in the relationship between IT and healthcare.

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Helena Clay

Assistant Press Officer

City University, London

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7040 8788

Press Office Mobile: +44 (0) 7970 271260

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7040 8562

Email: helena.clay.1@...