ABSTRACT

Ah! You knew we’d get back to computers before too long, didn’t you. We need computers because our paper-based systems simply cannot provide adequate information to support the information needs of a large modern practice let alone a PCG. However, computers are simply a means to an end to deliver the information system we need. On their own, they cannot solve our problems. If you don’t know how to get from London to Manchester, then having a fast car is as likely to take you away from Manchester as towards it. Worse, if you set off in the wrong direction, the faster the car, the further away it will take you in a given period of time. Computers are fast cars compared with Lloyd George envelopes, which are more like push bikes, but you can still head off hurtling towards the English Channel, if you don’t know where you’re going.