Authority to investigate possible iSoft 'irregularities'

The company at the heart of the troubled British National Health Service (NHS) computer upgrade today said the UK’s financial watchdog had launched an investigation into possible accounting irregularities at the firm.

Manchester-based iSoft said it had been told by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that it would undertake a formal investigation.

The company alerted the FSA after its own investigations found evidence of irregularities affecting the financial years ending April 2004 and 2005.

iSoft has until the end of this week to publish its twice-delayed financial results after a turbulent year for the software firm, sparked by delays to a project to put patient data on to a central NHS computer.