MPs on the Government’s public account committee (PAC), have said that they expect costs for the abandoned NHS patient records system to rise above the current bill of £9.8 billion.

The project originally launched in 2002 was impacted by obstacles including supplier disagreements and technical challenges, resulted in missed deadlines as costs spiralled.

Committee member Richard Bacon described the program as: “one of the worst and most expensive contracting fiascos in the history of the public sector.”

Despite acknowledgement from within the public sector of, the need to improve procurement management, Mr Bacon added that “there is still a long way to go before government departments can honestly say that they have learned and properly applied the lessons from previous contracting failures."

Prime Minister acknowledges public sectors shortcomings when outsourcing

Public Accounts Committee attacks NHS & CSC patient record system