CfH awards 61 ASCC clinical contracts

Tags: ASCC CfH CSC E-Prescribing Informatics iSoft NPfIT PAS System C

07 May 2008

Connecting for Health has awarded the eagerly anticipated Additional Supply Capability and Capacity (ASCC) framework contracts for clinical information systems.

Some 61 contracts have been signed with a wide range of suppliers for a series of clinical categories ranging from patient administration systems, to dental systems. Each clinical category of ‘lot two’ of ASCC is divided into national and SME (small and medium enterprise) contracts.

The four year ASCC framework contracts are said to provide NHS organisations and other NHS-funded establishments such as Independent Treatment Centres with a faster and easier route to procure IT systems and services from suppliers who have demonstrated experience in the health sector.

Gordon Hextall, CfH director of informatics said: "The award of the framework contracts for ASCC Lot 2 sees the successful completion of a significant procurement which will help to support the delivery not only of the National Programme for IT but also to ensure that the NHS has access to a range of suitable IT supply routes to respond flexibly to new and future business needs as they arise."

Jeremy Nettle, chair of the Intellect Healthcare Council welcomed the announcement and said: "This represents a great opportunity for our members to supply additional clinical solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century and deliver better and more effective healthcare to patients.’

ASCC can be used to support both National Programme for IT (NPfIT) related work and wider IT related projects.

It remains unclear, though, whether Connecting for Health (CfH) funding will be committed to support any procurement using ASCC. Previously CfH has announced that the procurement would be worth £100m but has yet to provide details of how much of this will be committed to lot two.

In addition to familiar NPfIT names such as BT, CSC and Fujitsu, there are some interesting new names in the PAS SME category, including Siemens, Agfa, Portugal’s Alert, and the highly regarded US firm Epic Systems.

In the PAS SME category suppliers awarded contracts include: Alert, Cambio, Capula, Epic, Intersystems, iSoft and System C.

One company to do notably well was System C which won framework contracts covering 16 areas including PAS, A&E and maternity. CEO, Dr Ian Denley, said “The NHS has been in need of a dedicated healthcare framework catalogue for many years, so this is a very exciting initiative from NHS Connecting for Health.

In other categories there are some interesting names missing. Ascribe, for instance, does not appear in e-prescribing category. The company pointed out, however, that it was a sub-contractor to several of the firms named on the 'National' list.

Melissa Frewin, health programme manager at Intellect, said: ‘Intellect is pleased to see the Lot 2 announcement, which should open-up access to the clinical systems market and enable suppliers to support the delivery of NPfIT and the wider business requirements within the NHS."

She added: "To ensure that ASCC delivers real benefits to the health service Intellect would like to see additional clarity around how the framework will be promoted to potential customers, how they are likely to use it in practice (including any guidance that may have been provided) and how it relates to Foundation Trust status."

The full list of the 61 contracts can found here.

Reader's Comments

Congratulations

07 May 08 10:05

Not just System C has done well, EMIS have also won 16 contracts, perhaps they are no longer Richard Granger's 'four letter word'!

Troop of monkeys?

07 May 08 11:05

Looking at the ASCC winners very few have systems of their own, most will be selling / implementing third party systems (presumably from other approved suppliers?). Why??

IMHO part of the problem with NPfIT has been too many monkeys and insufficient organ grinders. Having implemented my own department system and also had some involvement with the LSP / ISV model, I know which worked best and which I would prefer to do again.

ASCC is about service provision not functionality

07 May 08 16:05

The comment that organisations such as Ascribe were not included in the e- prescribing category should raise the same questions about many other well known suppliers of NHS solutions that similarly didn't appear in the categories where you would expect them. The likely reason is that the selection was made not on product functionality or NHS experience, but on the supplier’s stated ability to deliver a "service". The ASCC procurement was about finding more of the same i.e. large service companies, not NHS evidence based solutions.

how does it work?

07 May 08 17:05

At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, CFH have already signed exclusivity deals with major contractors for the provision of these services. No ifs or buts - exclusive local monopoly deals. What needs to be explained, therefore, is how the NHS is to take up these new deals without the taxpayer being hit with a lawsuit for breaching contract.

It hardly seems like the much vaunted CFH value for money to the taxpayer for one arm of government to be sued because another arm decides it has been offered a better deal.

Equally, it hardly seems value-for-money to offer Trusts a 'free' system under the LSP contract or a paid-for one under the ASCC catalogue.

Come on CFH - explain how we deploy this fantastic new functionality

Congratulations

07 May 08 17:05

Well done to System C and Emis for winning 16 contracts. And, well done too to iSoft which won 27.

Congratulations to All

08 May 08 10:05

Well done to all that have been shortlisted. Especially well done to CSE Servelec for their excellent RiO product.

Congratulations - yes but for what?

08 May 08 13:05

Amidst the clamour of mutual back slapping I cannot work out what congratulations are due for.

Is this money up front for the named suppliers?

Are these guaranteed future contracts?

If these suppliers are intended to pick up crumbs from the NASP and LSP tables why are the NASP and LSP management consultancies and (some but mysteriously not all) their first line contracted suppliers themselves listed?

Does this represent de facto or even explicit exclusion of non-listed suppliers from NHS IT related tenders?

Where is the money coming from?

Is anyone else confused? As a highly interested and engaged relative insider with knowledge of the NPfIT project from its outset I certainly am :-(

So far I have read nothing which even begins to answer these questions.

Haven't got a clue

08 May 08 22:05

It is completely unclear how this fits with the LSP solutions, beyond that it appears to make similar mistakes around awarding opportunities to sell services, when local NHS organisations just need freedom to implement proven and worthwhile systems and solutions.

I would suggest this is another bungled process, with unclear scope, and therefore a poor prognosis.

Now I'm confused

09 May 08 08:05

Our Trust presently uses Capula Oasis and is on the cards to move to Cerner Melinium.

Does this mean that we can stick with Capular or do we still have to move to Cerner?

Considering that Oasis works (after a fashon) and Milinium is a national joke - I think I know which I prefer!

What will ASCC contracts deliver?

11 May 08 11:05

............ or is this another transfer of taxpayer money to the private sector?

Has anybody got a box i can tick?

At last a way forward.....

12 May 08 16:05

The NP has failed to deliver anything useful, for the £1.3bn spent so far (or could it be rather more ??), whilst the suppliers in the ASCC are the ones who have actually met client needs for a fraction of the money. If the ASCC were a funded program it would provide a vehicle for real progress in updating IT in the NHS and as a countrly we would probably save a fortune. So well done to all of the indigenous IT houses who are at last being recognised.

We love our system (Oasis), and we can't see any benefits of becoming the orphan clients of a US megalith.