NHS trusts outsource financials and procurement IT

A consortium of NHS trusts and Strategic Health Authorities in the north of England has outsourced its financials and procurement IT in a contract worth £16.45m over 10 years.

Called the North East Patches Shared System Group (NEP), the consortium of 56 NHS organisations has awarded the contract to a subsidiary of IBA Health Group, an Australian Securities Exchange-listed IT supplier for healthcare companies.

IB Solutions will provide NEP with a managed service to host Oracle Financials and Procurement applications. The contract renews an existing relationship between NEP and IB Solutions and involves the latter's data centre in Prestwich, Manchester.

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NEP programme director, Bob Telford, said in a statement: "We are getting a cost-effective solution from a proven supplier who understands the healthcare business and offers great flexibility by consistently adapting to support our needs."

As part of the deal, the two organisations will implement a two-year graduate recruitment programme, where graduates spend the first year at IB Solutions, before going in-house with the NEP.