Mixed interest in tech fund open source

There is mixed interest among NHS IT directors in the open source focus of the Integrated Digital Care Fund.

EHI reported last month that the focus on open source systems in the second round of NHS England’s technology fund was welcomed by suppliers who expect “significant interest” from trusts.

However, speaking to EHI, several NHS IT directors said they were not sure they would pursue open source in the second round. Some also expressed concerns around the money on offer is only capital funding.

Will Smart, joint director of IM&T at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, which plan to merge, said the trusts are reviewing their programme portfolios to identify projects that “may fit the requirements of the fund”, but that there are “no plans at this stage” to put in an open source bid.

University Hospitals of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust’s clinical systems programme director Steve Gray, told EHI that the main problem with the fund is that it is only capital funding, which makes it difficult for the trust’s budget constraints.

“The problem we have, is that with this round it’s still only capital funding that’s on offer. It’s rather unfair thinking that when we have a lump of capital we have to pay depreciation and interest on it. The depreciation can come to £100,000 a year on a big project.

“We got about half a dozen projects that could qualify for bids, but my worry is that we can’t afford it. It’s great that money is available, I just wish that it was money to do work rather than buy things.”

Gray said that the trust would not be pursuing the open source strand, saying: “I don’t see the point,” and added  that there are several issues around accountability and ownership of maintaining the systems that he does not feel the NHS is ready to deal with.

Adrian Byrne, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s director of information management and technology, told EHI that the trust is planning to extend a business case for a current project, but as the trust does not use “much if any open source software”, it is unlikely to go down that route.

The first round of the tech fund was criticised for very tight deadlines for submitting bids, and NHS England promised more time in the second round. When it opened for bids last month, trusts were given exactly two months to get their bids in for the fund, with a 14 July deadline.

Unlike the previous round, trusts can only submit one bid, as well as a joint bid with social care or local authority organisations.

Bill Aylward, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Open Eyes director said the trust would be applying for the fund but the main problem with the fund is “that it only allows one application and one joint application per trust, so we will have to go through an internal prioritisation process first.”

 “The time is shorter than we would like, but better than last time, so should be enough,” he said.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s deputy director of informatics, Eileen Jessop, said the trust will put in both an individual bid and a joint one.

In terms of time constraints, Jessop said that as trusts should already have business cases written or in the pipeline so they “should be more to ready to apply for such funding, and if not why not?”

“There is never enough time but its funding that is much needed so you make the time.”

However, several trusts EHI spoke to have yet to look at the fund and its criteria, and have not decided which bids, if any to put in.

Colin Sweeney, director of ICT at Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told EHI that the trust would not be applying for the funding.

“As we were successful with three bids and a joint bid in round one, as well as two nursing tech fund bids, I have been advising people here that we need to concentrate on delivering those rather than bid for any more,” he said.

“Our agenda is currently pretty full, especially given our priorities in migrating Princess Royal to the King’s systems and I don’t believe we have the capacity to accommodate any more.”