DH admits ASCC South is over

The Department of Health has admitted defeat in its attempts to procure new software systems for trusts in the South of England using the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity framework.

In a statement issued to eHealth Insider, a DH spokesperson said ASCC “no longer represents the preferred procurement route” for trusts looking for centrally procured and financed acute and ambulance systems.

A third procurement, for community and child health systems, collapsed last month. The DH said it was now “exploring alternative procurement routes” in all three cases.

The South has been without a local service provider since Fujitsu exited the National Programme for IT in the NHS in May 2008.

The DH did a series of deals with BT to support the handful of trusts that received Cerner Millennium through NPfIT, to extend its use to three ‘greenfield’ sites, and to deploy the RiO community and mental health system to 25 trusts.

Other trusts in the South hoping for centrally procured and financed systems were directed to three procurements using the ASCC framework.

The procurements – for infrastructure and acute systems, community and child health systems, and ambulance systems, were launched in a huge hurry two years ago. However, they were held up by the general election and ministerial and departmental spending reviews.

In its statement last week, the DH admitted “there is now insufficient time to conclude procurement activities before the clinical applications lot of the ASCC framework expires (in May 2012).”

The DH added: “As with all the NHS South of England procurements, the relevant trusts have been involved and engaged at every stage.

“As the intent to procure systems and services remains unchanged, we are now exploring alternative procurement routes.”