System C buys medicines management specialist WellSky

System C has acquired medicines management specialist WellSky in a bid to strengthen its electronic patient record (EPR) offering.

WellSky International, formerly known as JAC, is best known for its electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA) solutions. These solutions are used by around 200 NHS trusts and Health Boards across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in addition to a number of international clients.

The company, which employs 70 staff in the UK, has the most extensive pharmacy and EPMA product offerings in the UK NHS market, including specialist areas of prescribing like chemotherapy and paediatrics.

System C described the acquisition as highly strategic and said it would integrate Wellsky into its Careflow cloud EPR suite, including clinical collaboration, care planning, electronic observations and patient flow.

“System C will invest significantly in product innovation, maintain interoperability with all hospital software systems and third-party suppliers,” the company said in a statement.

Dr Ian Denley, joint CEO at System C, added: “WellSky International leads the market in medicines management solutions and has a long track record of collaboration with clinicians across the NHS. Its highly evolved clinical products are held in the very best regard by users, and we are delighted that they have joined the System C group.”

Markus Bolton, joint CEO of System C told Digital Health News that while the company “has a good prescribing module” they do not have “the breadth that Wellsky covers” as “EPMA is very complex”.

He also confirmed that work had already begun to integrate Wellsky into System C’s EPR.

“It’s really good having prescribing fully integrated into an EPR as you can get a lot of benefits,” he explained.

Cerner and Epic have integrated EPMA capabilities and System C hope the acquisition will help them compete with their NHS competitors.

WellSky’s extensive EPMA product portfolio encompasses critical care, emergency care, theatres, controlled drugs and mobile solutions for provision of bedside closed loop solutions.

Bolton said that the addition of a closed loop EPMA solution will enable System C to help its clients get to HIMSS 6 and 7 accreditation, a benchmark promoted through the Global Digital Exemplar programme.

Robert Tysall-Blay, CEO of WellSky International, added: “System C is a great cultural fit for us and has the ambition, scale and range of products we need to offer a world class medicines management platform as part of an Integrated EPR.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.