McKesson wins extension to NWCS contract
Connecting for Health has awarded a nine-month extension to the contract of healthcare IT supplier, McKesson, to provide its NHS-wide Clearing Service (NWCS) ClearNET, until 31 December 2006. The value of the contract has not been disclosed but the heading on the company’s announcement described it as “multi-million pound”. Commenting on the extension of the […]
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MP quizzes Blair on national programme money
An opposition MP has asked for Prime Minister Tony Blair’s personal assurance that public money has not been given to companies involved in the National Programme for IT that have not delivered, naming iSoft as an example. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Question Time, Richard Bacon, Conservative MP for South Norfolk, said: “Would the Prime Minister […]
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Crossroads for Kodak
Jon Hoeksma talks to Kevin Hobert, senior vice president at Eastman Kodak Company and president of the Health group, about Kodak’s future plans.
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European ‘Connect-a-thon’ tests interoperability
Over 60 healthcare software companies and organisations from all over the world have gathered together in Spain to test the interoperability of their systems. A total of 700 combinations of system and 1600 tests were carried out over four days in Barcelona in a yearly European ‘Connect-a-thon’, organised by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise in Europe […]
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Ascribe buys Jade Health
Acquisitive Bolton-based health IT group Ascribe has bought Jade Health from Jade Software Corporation, extending its product into mental health, and providing it with a presence in the Australasian market. Jade Health provides IT solutions to 24 hospitals and health service organisations in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Under the terms of the agreement, […]
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Virtual reality heart failure pod goes on tour
Doctors in the US are being given the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a patient with congestive heart failure, thanks to a mobile virtual reality unit. The Heart FX Pod, developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and marketing firm The RJO Group, invites clinicians to sit in a booth and don a pneumatic […]
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Bedfordshire and Luton opt for CareNotes system
Bedfordshire and Luton Mental Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust has signed up to use Strand Technology’s CareNotes electronic care record solution. Lizzy Smith, from the community and mental health (CAMH) services at Bedfordshire and Luton, said: “This solution will help us continue to make the best use of new technology and will make […]
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Online medical journal access for NHS Wales
Informing Healthcare, the Welsh healthcare IT programme, has announced that it is making another 90 online peer-reviewed journals available through the NHS Wales online library, bringing the total number of publications staff can access to 200. The addition is part of the programme’s Access to Knowledge (A2K) project. The new journals cover diverse topics such […]
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Cornwall NHS staff get VoIP phone badges
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has issued its staff with voice-activated handsfree ‘badges’, worn around the neck on a lanyard, which can put any user in touch with another member of staff just by saying their name or department into a microphone. The Vocera system (below), which was installed and is managed by BT, runs […]
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Strand acquires Prism Risk Management
Warrington, Cheshire, based mental health clinical software company Strand Technology has announced that it has acquired Prism Risk Management, a provider of risk management systems to the NHS. The acquisition was completed earlier this month for an undisclosed sum. The deal should enable Strand to offer customers mental health care records systems with integrated […]
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