Barnsley picks Lorenzo

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust plans to take CSC’s electronic patient record system under the Department of Health’s interim deal with the company.

The trust is the seventh to sign up to take Lorenzo under the legally binding interim agreement with CSC, which gives trusts that take the system central funding for deployment and service costs.

The trust is currently awaiting final approval from the NME Programme Board for its Lorenzo business case.

Jason Bradley, the trust’s ICT director, told EHI that it was planning to begin implementation of the system next year.

"We are now undertaking an extensive exercise to identify the benefits we can deliver through our EPR programme of which Lorenzo is a part,” he said.

“Implementation plans are currently being developed with a view to implementing phase one of EPR during 2014."

A trust spokesperson added that Barnlsey had spoken to several others about Lorenzo before making the decision.

“Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust conducted an extensive procurement process before deciding CSC Lorenzo was the best available option for delivering an EPR system for the trust.

“Our process also included talking to other trusts who have chosen Lorenzo, so that we could learn from their experiences and ensure we were satisfied the system could deliver the benefits we want.”

Barnsley is  running the legacy Totalcare PAS from McKesson and was due to receive Lorenzo as a strategic system under NPfIT. The support contract for the current PAS is due to end in 2014.

Minutes from the trust’s April board meeting say: “The chief executive was pleased to report that the first milestone for the EPR programme had been achieved, namely a national endorsement for the Lorenzo investment case, enabling the trust to progress to the next stage of planning.”

Barnsley Hospital is also implementing self-check in kiosks from CSC. “The procurement process has been completed and the preferred supplier is CSC due to its alignment with the EPR/PAS replacement system (Lorenzo),” the minutes add.

CSC was the local service provider for the North, Midlands and East of England under NPfIT, but a renegotiation of its contract removed the company’s exclusive rights.

The first nine trusts to take Lorenzo under the new agreement will receive money from a CSC incentive fund to “offset the trust’s costs.” CSC told EHI last month that the value of fund would differ from trust to trust, however it had previously been reported as £1m per trust.

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust have had their business cases approved by the NME Programme Board.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust have also confirmed their intention to take the system.

Tim Donohoe, the senior responsible owner for local service provider programmes at the DH, told EHI last month that he expected no more than 20 trusts to take the system before the interim deal expires in 2016.