Lorenzo offer clinches fourth trust

CSC has won its fourth trust under the government’s interim agreement with the company.

Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, which currently uses iSoft’s iPM patient administration system, has approved a business case to take Lorenzo’s bed management functionality and plans to implement the full Lorenzo package to replace the trust’s PAS by 2014.

A spokesperson from Ipswich told eHealth Insider: “We have begun a project to implement Lorenzo in full in 2014.

“However, there are a couple of functionalities – bed management and patient self check-in kiosks – which we are implementing in advance. We are hoping to have these up and running this summer.”

Trusts wishing to take Lorenzo can get central support and funding for up to five years from implementation if they develop a “robust business case” that is approved by the Department of Health.

EHI exclusively revealed last year that the deal between CSC and the DH gives the first ten trusts that take Lorenzo before the end of March a signing-on bonus of £1m for implementation costs.

Ipswich said the financial incentive was one of the factors in choosing the system.

“One of the main reasons we have chosen Lorenzo is that it’s a natural migration from the iPM system we are using now, and the data transfer will be managed for us,” the spokesperson said.

“Another benefit is that NHS Connecting for Health is providing funding.”

The trust signed the business case to take Lorenzo’s bed management and patient check-in functionality at a board meeting in November last year.

“The bed management function will give us a real-time bed state, so colleagues can see electronically exactly where patients are, what beds are free and where discharges are expected,” the spokesperson explained.

“The patient self check-in desks will allow patients to check themselves in for appointments without having to queue to see a receptionist.

“This will not only ease the pressure on our busy reception staff, but will also improve patient experience – it’s a functionality patients have begun to expect as they are used to it at the GP surgeries.”

Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have already confirmed their intention to implement Lorenzo and are awaiting business case approval from central government.