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NHS payment system upgrade

Friday May 09th 2008.   Posted: 09:17

doctor and laptop

BT has upgraded QMAS in line with the technology it has used to deliver the Spine

One of the first systems delivered by BT to the NHS as part of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has been successfully upgraded using a delivery approach based on effective major programme management.  

First delivered in August 2004, the Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS) is a national IT system which gives GP practices and primary care trusts (PCTs) objective evidence and feedback on the quality of care delivered to patients.

The system has been brought into line with the technology BT has used to deliver the Spine - one of the world’s biggest transactional databases that will hold key information about patients’ health and care. Along with QMAS, its messaging capability also enables the delivery of a range of other services being rolled out as part of the NPfIT in England, including the electronic transfer of prescriptions and the Choose and Book service.

Michael Rudenko, QMAS release manager, said: “QMAS shows how well each GP practice is doing, measured against national achievement targets. The automated flow of information from practices to PCTs each month enables them to analyse their achievement data and make financial claims.

“The quality of the QMAS application and support service provided by BT directly affects GP practices, and any missed payments or poor service would be highly visible to the Department of Health.”

Michael said the latest upgrade of the QMAS system had involved a technology refresh of the database and application servers. “The software versions were upgraded so that it is in line with the rest of the Spine technology,” he said. “This upgrade makes QMAS a scalable, resilient solution, capable of supporting future increases in users.

“Well done to all involved. This is another example of the maturity of the Spine and the BT Health programmes and their continued ability to deliver a quality product to the customer.”

Information provider: Group Communications

Review date: 09/05/09