Machines and Machinations: The Integrated Care Record Service in the UK National Health Service

Abstract

This paper examines the use of Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a lens to get a better understanding of the implementation of the Integrated Care Record Service (ICRS) in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Actor Network Theory has been deployed in various environments to achieve a better understanding of the roles of not only the humans but also the artefacts that constitute, in this case, healthcare networks of services and organisations. The theory is used as means of supporting real world interventions, providing a richer understanding of complexities involved and thereby helps management to make better decisions. This study is also explores Latour’s concept of machines as machinations, whose role it is to translate other actors into the network. We propose ICRS as a fruitful empirical context for the use of ANT to support decision making for actors in health care provision.