£20m on open source in ‘tech fund 2’

NHS England has a £20m target for open source systems in the second round of its technology fund, although the money is not “ring-fenced” for use.

The role of open source in the second round of the tech fund, now known as the Integrated Digital Care Fund, was discussed at NHS England’s Open Source Open Day in London with suppliers and developers last week.

The prospectus for the fund says NHS England wants to encourage the development of open source software and create a community of “developers, implementers and users” to improve the solutions.

EHI previously reported that £20m earmarked for open source projects in the first round of the tech fund would be rolled over due to the timescales for spending.

However, following the launch of the second round, NHS England told EHI that there was no “specific ring-fenced amount of funding” for open source within the overall £240m budget.

Despite this, Rob Parker, NHS England’s Integrated Digital Care Fund programme manager, told attendees at the open day there is still a £20m goal for open source solutions.

“It’s not so much that there’s £20m ring-fenced and it has to be that amount, but we want to hit £20m.

“That would be a good investment, so that’s what our target is.”

Parker said trusts applying for funding for open source software still need to meet the same requirements as proprietary applications on value for money, matching funding and other criteria.

“What we’re trying to do is assess each application on its merits…all applications will be treated the same in terms of what they have to supply, and once we get a list of viable projects we will go from there.”

NHS England’s head of business systems, Richard Jefferson, said the emphasis on open source is about encouraging a “paradigm shift” towards greater innovation and collaboration, while also opening up the marketplace.

“This develops challenge and competition in a market that isn’t otherwise there,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson said NHS England will develop research over the next 18 months on open source’s total cost of ownership, which he acknowledged is a “contentious” issue within the NHS.

Suppliers have welcomed the focus on open source in the tech fund, describing it as a step in the right direction.

However, there has been mixed interest from NHS IT directors, with several telling EHI they are unsure whether they will pursue open source options.