Circle and Alert pull plug on Bath

Circle Health and Alert have agreed to terminate a contract to deploy the first anglicised version of Alert’s electronic patient record software at the flagship CircleBath Hospital.

The Portugese software company had a contract to implement its clinical software at with the up-market Norman Foster-designed private hospital, which boasts of offering a four star hotel experience.

The 28 bed private hospital, which opened in March 2010, claims it is "one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the country".  The hospital runs a System C patient administration system, on which it was implementing the Alert electronic patient record.

CircleBath Hospital had gone live with some elements of the EPR software - including order communications, scheduling and clinical documentation.

However, eHealth Insider has received confirmation from Alert that the software contract has been terminated.

“Alert and Circle mutually agreed to end their partnership in September 2011. There was no fault by either party and both remain on good terms,” it said in a statement.

Neither Alert nor Circle would comment on the reasons for the contract termination, how far the deployment had progressed, or whether the already deployed software would be removed.

It is unclear what Circle plans to replace the Alert contract with; if anything.

CircleBath was Alert’s reference site for converting the Portugese software to an appropriate UK setting.

The baton now passes to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which went live with the system in A&E in November 2010.

The trust was planning to use the system to provide clinical functionality, but leave its IMS Maxims PAS in place.

However, it is understood the implementation of the Emergency Department Information Software (EDIS) software has not been going to plan.

An attempt to upgrade the A&E module in August failed because of issues with capacity.

The system was being tested further by Alert, and a ‘considered view’ was being taken to planning a new date for the upgrade attempt.

Meanwhile, the trust’s director of clinical support and facilities management, Robert Bell, had met with contractual agents to discuss the Alert contract.

The trust was planning to hold monthly update meetings with Alert about the roll-out.

However, Alert still remains the most likely supplier to win a contract with the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust.

Sources have told EHI the company remains the trust’s preferred supplier, and the business case is subject to final sign-offs from the strategic health authority and trust board.