February was a relatively quiet month for contract awards and tenders involving health IT. One of the few contracts came from NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust.
The trust has bought the record management system from EDM Group for an undisclosed value, through the NHS Commissioning Business Service in Salford, to scan and digitise some 5m sheets of paper.
It says its paper records are at risk because they are stored in unsuitable conditions and because storage space will diminish with a move to the trust's new centres, paid for with £80m in funding from a Local Improvement Finance Trust.
There were just two other health IT contracts awarded and published in the Official Journal of the European Union during the month, according to Kable's database of government IT deals.
The East of England strategic health authority awarded iQ Business a contract for a secure web based influenza pandemic planning and management and business continuity system for the trusts in its region. Meanwhile, Wirral Hospital trust chose Cerner to provide it with a patient care information system
The month saw eight healthcare tenders published, compared with 16 in January. Only two had estimated values, the larger being from South West London & St Georges mental health trust. It expects to spend between £350,000 and £500,000 replacing its five year old storage area network at Springfield Hospital, which is currently backed up on tape. It is considering various options to provide better disaster recovery as part of the tender.
The other tender with an estimated value attached was published by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, which said it will spend between £350,000 and £400,000 on an automatic vehicle location and mobile data system.
Other tenders published during February included: Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust, which is looking for an automated telephone reminder service to reduce missed outpatient appointments; Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust, which tendered for a sterile instrument tracking service; East Kent Hospitals University Trust, for an electronic patient record management system; and The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust, for an automated medication dispensing system.
The month also saw Poole Hospital Trust cancel its tender, on behalf of itself and its two local primary care trusts, for an order communications system. The tender, which was published last September, would have facilitated electronic ordering and reporting for radiology and pathology, with the option of expansion to other areas, for both hospital staff and GPs. The trust did not give a reason for the cancellation.
All information is drawn from notices published in the Official Journal of the European Union. These, along with a monthly analysis of ICT tenders in all government sectors, are available to customers of KableDIRECT.
