CfH selects eight GPSoC suppliers

NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) has announced that it has selected eight GP clinical system suppliers to be awarded contracts under the GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) initiative.

The successful companies are local service provider CSC Computer Sciences, plus existing GP system suppliers EMIS, INPS, iSoft, Healthy Software, Microtest and Seetec and newcomer to the market, Waveform Solutions.

The Department of Health says clinical system suppliers have been notified and contracts will be formally awarded in the next two weeks following a ten day ‘standstill’ period to allow unsuccessful bidders to request a formal debrief or further information. The standstill period began on 26 July.

When individual contracts have been signed primary care trusts will be able to sign up to local GPSoC contracts for up to four years on behalf of their GP practices. Central funding will be provided by NHS Connecting for Health to help PCTs pay for approved GP clinical IT systems. Funding will be made from the point at which PCTs and GPs join GPSoC.

The GPSoC framework is divided into two lots. Lot one, for GP clinical IT systems and associated services, is about to be completed and lot two for data migration services is expected to be completed in autumn 2007.

A total of £80m is also available to fund the IT infrastructure required to support GP practices and CfH says the money should start to be distributed to primary care trusts from this month.

The GPSoC initiative was developed after GPs complained that they were being pressurised to change to local service provider (LSP) funded systems despite their right to IT system choice enshrined in the 2004 nGMS contract.

The initiative means GPs should now be able to choose from using systems provided by their LSP, keeping their existing clinical system which will be upgraded in line with National Programme for IT (NPfIT) requirements or moving to another supplier’s clinical system.

GPSoC’s six stage maturity model means suppliers are rewarded for complying with the NPFiT starting with compliance with Choose and Book and the Electronic Prescription Service rising to GP2GP compliance (level three), using a hosted system (level four), using SNOMED CT (level five) and using a fully integrated system (level six).

One existing supplier which CfH indicated was taking part in the procurement process, Ascribe, is not included in the list of successful bidders.

Stephen Critchlow, executive chairman of Ascribe, told EHI Primary Care that the company had withdrawn from GPSoC but would still be supporting its 49 GP practices in England which use the company’s GP software.

He added: “It was uneconomic for a small supplier like us to comply with Connecting for Health’s terms and conditions. However we will be maintaining our current customers, we can sell more systems and Connecting for Health has given us assurances that we will continue to get specifications and support from them so we can continue to develop the system.”

Links 

GPSoC approved by the Treasury