South Cerner sites join London framework

At least two Cerner live sites in the South are joining the London framework to procure an electronic patient record system beyond October 2015.

Nine southern trusts that received Cerner’s Millennium EPR under NPfIT are still live with the system. The contracts run out in October 2015.

EHI understands that the trusts own the license to use the Millennium software in perpetuity, but if they choose to stick with the system, they need to secure hosting and support beyond 2015.

EHI’s investigations reveal that two southern trusts are joining the London procurement framework and at least one other is looking at it.

The framework covers seven London trusts that are running Cerner Millennium or that plan to go-live with the system under NPfIT contracts.

The winners of the tender, worth between £250m and £400m, were revealed by EHI last month.

Cerner, InterSystems and Epic won the patient administration system/EPR lot; CGI, Harris and Orion won the portal lot; and the hosting contracts have gone to Capita Clinical Solutions, Cerner and HP.

One of three southern ‘greenfield sites’ to receive Millennium, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, is in the process of joining the London framework.

Director of planning and information, Andrew Stevens, told EHI that the trust is committed to a single system strategy to achieve an EPR.

Early last year, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust became the first of the Cerner ‘live sites’ in the South to confirm that it hopes to retain Millennium beyond the end of the national contracts.

A spokesperson for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare confirmed to EHI that it is joining the London collaborative procurement.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is also considering using the London framework and is, “in discussion with a number of southern Cerner trusts to see where work can be collaborated on”.

Indications earlier this year were that the southern trusts had formed three collaborative groups to work on their plans for post-NPfIT contracts.

However, those trusts not using the London framework have so far chosen to procure independently.

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has teamed up with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, which did not receive a system under NPfIT, in an EPR tender worth up to £35m.

Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust and North Bristol NHS Trust separately went out to tender earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Bath said the trust was pleased with the response from industry, but no decision had been made with regards to the number of suppliers that it wants to invite to tender.

Weston Area Health NHS Trust has also recently gone out to tender to replace its EPR looking for a single supplier for up to 12 years.

The old Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust received Millennium in 2007, but the system has been gradually switched off following the trust’s merger in January 2012 to become part of the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The new trust is taking a best of breed approach to building an EPR, which IT director Andy Thomas told EHI is being driven by clinicians.

Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it is, “currently assessing its options for a new IT project once the current contract expires in October 2015.”