Ascribe buys 21C for consulting division

Ascribe has announced the acquisition of 21C, which it will combine with its WCI Healthcare division to form Ascribe Consulting.

21C is a provider of Microsoft Business Intelligence solutions to health and social care organisations, with particular strengths in primary and community care.

WCI Healthcare, which was acquired by Ascribe in 2008, specialises in integration consulting, Microsoft SharePoint solutions for healthcare, Business Intelligence and Lean process improvement.

By combining the two, Ascribe believes that its new Ascribe Consulting division will be positioned to deliver a broader set services and products.

"We have been developing BI solutions to complement our clinical products and delivering customer reporting and management dashboards for many years," said Stephen Critchlow, chief executive of Ascribe.

"The acquisition of 21C is a major statement of intent, and provides us with a robust and commercially proven set of solutions, as well as new customers.

"We have known 21C for some time, as collaborators, and recognise and respect their healthcare heritage and ethic, which is very much in line with that of Ascribe.”

The 21C Business Intelligence solution set will be incorporated into Ascribe’s portfolio, while Paul Henderson, chief executive of 21C, will join the company’s management team as Business Intelligence lead.

Henderson echoed Critchlow’s comments, saying: "We share the vision of informing care and improving health through evidence based decision making.

“As with any acquisition and merger of this sort, we will ensure that our combined client base receives business as usual and our combined teams have a solid merger plan to enable this to happen."