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The Liberal Democrats are set to scrap large chunks of the NHS National Programme for IT according to a new document from Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb.

The document also calls for a reduced Choose and Book system that it says has caused frustration for doctors and patients and failed to deliver choice. Lamb says Choose and Book should revert back to what it was originally designed for – a simple online appointment bookings system rather than the overly complex system that it has become.

"The introduction of this system fatally lacked clinical engagement and, like the Care Records Service, has been blighted by technical problems," said Lamb. "These proposals set out a liberal approach to the NHS which can drastically reduce costs, improve the quality of care and give people a say in how their local services are run.

“These proposals set out a liberal approach to the NHS which can drastically reduce costs, improve the quality of care and give people a say in how their local services are run,” he added. "The NHS is far too important to the people of this country to ignore this challenge anymore - we must act now to secure its future.”

The document says the national IT strategy should instead be focused on local connectivity between primary, secondary and social care. "This approach would also unleash the innovative energy of the small and medium-sized IT companies that have been excluded from the development of the national programme," it says.

Other proposals in the document include linking the GP Quality and Outcomes Framework payment scheme to improving patients' health, changing financial incentives in the NHS to promote the prevention of ill health, and fining people who turn up drunk in A&E and are aggressive to staff.

Lamb also advocates greater use of email and telephone consultations to reduce the number of GP visits. “In so many other walks of life we exchange emails to avoid waiting for a formal meeting. There is no reason why the same logic should not apply in the NHS,” said Lamb.