NPfIT Contract Negotiations Get Tough
The long-term future of a key pillar of the Government’s modernisation strategy for the NHS depends on what increasingly resembles a game of chicken, now being played out between the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) and the suppliers left in the contract negotiations for the procurement competitions. Participants in this high-stakes game of poker describe […]
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University College London Hospitals Announces PACS Deal
University College London Hospitals NHS Trust has signed a deal with Agfa Healthcare to provide a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) for online X-ray images. The first phase of implementation will see the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery become the first fully filmless hospital in the Trust. It will also see PACS introduced […]
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Lockheed Martin Withdraws From National Programme
US technology giant, Lockheed Martin, has withdrawn from the procurement competitions being run by the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) the company confirmed to E-Health Insider today (Friday, 29 August). A Lockheed Martin spokesperson stated: “I can confirm that we have withdrawn from the National Programme for IT.” He declined to answer any questions […]
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No National Programme Funding for Local Projects
The director of finance for the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has confirmed that local NHS organisations will receive no additional funding for local IM&T initiatives from national programme funds beyond this current financial year. In a letter seen by E-Health Insider NPfIT finance director, Malcolm Harris CBE, states that in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 all […]
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Kwo Aims to Make London World’s Best Health System
Everyone needs a goal. David Kwo, the man responsible for delivering 21st century IT to the NHS in London, certainly has one. It’s nothing less that to make London “the leading metropolitan health system globally.” Interviewed by E-Health Insider as the selection process for the three shortlisted LSPs for London – consortia led by IBM, […]
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Granger Confirms Centre to Allocate LSP Contracts
With the shortlist for LSPs announced this week, barely a year after the procurement process for the NPfIT began, Richard Granger, NHS IT director-general, has reiterated that the final decision on LSP contract awards will be made centrally. In an interview with E-Health Insider, Mr Granger, confirmed that the decisions on award of the five […]
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XML Special Focus:Bridging the Gap Between Existing Systems
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust is the largest post-graduate specialist heart and lung centre in the United Kingdom. The trust was established in 1998 following the merger of Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital and is based on two sites, one in Chelsea, London and one near Uxbridge, Middlesex. The merger brought with it […]
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Shortlisted LSPs Notified
A further key stage in the national procurement for Integrated Care Records Services (ICRS) was reached on Friday when firms that had made the shortlist to become Local Service Providers (LSPs) were notified by the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS. Ninety-nine firms submitted outline applications to become LSPs by March with the […]
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Cerner Brings in the Big Guns
Cerner, one of the contenders for local service provider (LSP) contracts to be awarded by the National Programme for IT in the NHS, has announced a major expansion of its UK presence and moved one its most senior executives to London to oversee the operation. The US-based corporation said this week that its chief operating […]
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Data Improvements Essential to Make GP Monitoring Work
Researchers at Imperial College London have devised a system for monitoring mortality rates which could help to alert authorities to crimes such as the murders committed by GP Harold Shipman and also provide useful feedback on the overall quality of care. However, they caution that data quality improvement is essential. The study, published in the […]
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