Fujitsu wins CfH support contract

NHS Connecting for Health has awarded Fujitsu the contract to supply its national front line service support desk.

The contract, which will last until 2013, will require Fujitsu to set up four call centres in Wakefield, Stevenage, Manchester and Foots Cray in Kent. They will manage an estimated four million calls per year.

The support desks will cover the English NHS Care Records Service, Choose and Book, electronic prescribing and Picture Archiving and Communications Service (PACS). Fujistu say the support desk will be a single point of contact available for 24hrs a day, 365 days a year, and will take fax and e-mail queries as well as calls.

As well as core support, Fujitsu will also offer local framework agreements for non-NPfIT technical queries so trusts can procure their own local support services.

Peter Hutchinson, public sector managing director at Fujitsu Service, said: "As a result of this new service, NHS staff will receive a much enhanced IT helpdesk function at improved value for money. These contracts will enable NHS staff to obtain the technical support they require for NHS Connecting for Health applications, and, where they choose, trusts' local systems."

Fujitsu say that the new support desk will be based on industry standards and best practice and will scale up existing support services. Calls will be owned and logged through to their conclusion by the service.

Support provided by the National Service Desk will be merged into Fujitsu's system. The transfer is currently scheduled to take place this autumn, and a total of 870,000 NHS staff across England will have access to the support desk when fully implemented.

Procurement for support services started a year ago through the Official Journal of the European Union. Five organisations, BT, Capita, CSC Computer Services, Atos Origin and Fujitsu applied to the procurement notice.

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