760 applications to Tech Fund

The government’s new Technology Fund has attracted more than 760 expressions of interest from trusts applying for more than £650m.

The £260m Safer Wards, Safer Hospitals Technology Fund was announced by health secretary Jeremy Hunt in May to catalyse the adoption of IT in the NHS.

Trusts had until 31 July to prepare their expressions of interest with applications focused on four key areas; adoption of the NHS Number as primary identifier; integrated digital care records including information sharing within and between organisations; e-prescribing; and advanced scheduling.

NHS England says the fund has received an unprecedented number of applications.

Trusts have entered more than 760 valid expressions of interest requesting more than £650m of funding.

“The level of interest in the Safer Wards, Safer Hospitals Technology Fund underlines the commitment of NHS provider organisations to play their part in helping the NHS go increasingly paperless by 2018,” an NHS England statement says.

A panel of advisors will work with trusts during August and September to review their applications and successful projects will be announced this October.

“NHS England will now carefully consider each expression of interest and at the next stage of the process, work with each applicant to confirm the specific benefits they intend to achieve,” the statement says.

Guidance issued in June said £90m will be available in this financial year and £170m in the next. Funding must be spent before the end of March 2015 and trusts must match any funding received.

The fund is open to acute, mental health and community trusts in England, of which there are around 250.