BT is playing a prominent role within the National Programme. It is delivering new IT systems across the capital in its capacity as the London local service provider and is rolling out the N3 the broadband network that underpins the project.
BT is also building and managing the national transactional database for the programme, known as the Spine, which enables a range of services such as Choose and Book, the Electronic Prescriptions Service and GP to GP transfer of records. It is also core to the introduction of the NHS Care Records Service, an electronic patient record for 50 million patients in England.
The London contract is worth £996 million over ten years and was awarded to BT in December 2003.
The Spine contract is worth £620 million over ten years and was awarded in December 2003.
BT won the N3 contract in February 2004. It is a seven year contract worth £530 million.
Picture Archiving and Communications Service (PACS) was added in 2004, worth £172 million.
N3
On N3, the broadband network which underpins the programme, the target of 18,000 connections was hit two months ahead of schedule in January 2007. In fact we have now exceeded 20,000 connections.
This year (2007), BT in collaboration with NHS Connecting for Health introduced N3 Voice Services. This enables the network to carry voice traffic, offering the potential to significantly reduce the cost of telephony services. Benefits include free calls across the N3 network to other N3-voice connected sites and reduced fixed-to-mobile charges. This signals a landmark second phase of the N3 journey for the NHS, where data and voice converge on the network.
London
In London, BT has delivered significant capability to 75 per cent of London trusts, particularly to primary and mental care trusts. It has completed its roll-out of Picture Archiving Communications Systems (PACS) to 21 Trusts. These systems enable radiology images such as x-rays and scans to be stored, displayed, transmitted and archived electronically, rather than being printed onto film.
In 2006, BT announced its new strategy for London, which included a new electronic patient record system from software supplier Cerner as its solution for acute trusts. In August 2007, BT deployed its first Cerner Millennium electronic patient record system at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust. The system will eventually be installed in all hospitals across the capital as part of the NPfIT.
The Spine
BT recently completed its most complex and challenging software upgrade so far on the Spine. This release provides the backbone for the introduction of the NHS Care Records Service in coming years, for more than 50 million patients in England. Working alongside BT on the release were 18 different suppliers. It took approximately 37,000 working days to produce and 15,000 tests were carried out - the equivalent of 8,000 days on more than three million lines of code.
Summary Care Records are currently being created for patients in a small number of Early Adopter Primary Care Trusts in England. This will be a summary of limited but important information about patients such as details of allergies, current prescriptions and any bad reactions to medicines.
About 2,000 people work across the three contracts. This includes both full time employees and contractors.
BT has a very good track record of delivering large-scale programmes. It has been working with Revenue and Customs for more than 30 years and developed one of the most advanced import/export processing systems in the world, called Chief. This handles more than 26 million import/export declarations a year and is an integral part of collecting £25 billion in customs duty.
BT also has contracts with the Department of Work and Pensions, Reuters, Unilever, In Bev, Essex County Council, the City of Edinburgh Council, Registers of Scotland, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to mention but a few. Indeed, even before the National Programme, we were the largest supplier of information and communications services to the NHS.
We do not comment on the financial situation of specific contracts. We understand the nature of large-scale IT contracts and we expect to make money over their total lifespan.
Even before the National Programme, BT was the largest IT supplier to the NHS. This includes:
NHSnet, the network that has now been replaced by N3
NHS Numbers For Babies service which ensures that within minutes of a baby's birth midwives can obtain their all-important NHS number. This unique identifier forms the basis of a lifelong electronic care record, eliminates incomplete or muddled sets of information and helps ensure prompt and appropriate care for infants right from birth.
NHS Direct, the online and telephone helpline which has provided help and advice on health matters to more than five million citizens in England is underpinned by BT Technology.
NHS24, the confidential health advice and information service in Scotland is another example of a national programme delivered and managed by BT for the benefit of NHS people and patients.
In addition to this the company is behind BT Wireless hospital, a number of clinical applications built on top of a managed wireless LAN. This includes the BT Managed Vocera service which allows staff to contact each other instantly anywhere in a hospital over a voice-activated badge. Recent contract wins include the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust.