Wirral signs direct contact with Cerner

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has signed a direct contract with Cerner Corporation to provide it with a new clinical IT system.

Cerner will provide its Millennium electronic patient record system and give the foundation trust access to all of its products, covering some 90-plus software systems.

E-Health Insider has learned that the trust signed the contract directly with Cerner in December. The value of the contract was not disclosed for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Wirral has established a trading partner agreement with Cerner. Its Millennium system will replace the trust’s existing clinical IT systems, including the patient administration system, electronic prescribing, care pathways and clinical decision support, radiology and pathology.

EHI understands that over the first five years of the deal, Cerner will provide significant direct input on site.

EHI also understands that the trust’s plans include embedding the GP record inside Millenium and establishing a reciprocal arranagement in local GP systems to create an effective shared record.

The trust had planned to replace its ageing IT system by contracting for Cerner through Fujitsu, the local service provider for the South of England, as part of the National Programme for IT in the NHS. But the trust had to review its position when Fujitsu left the programme in summer 2008.

In a statement the trust said: “The trust is delighted to confirm that its new IT system will be provided by Cerner under a direct contract.”

Gary Doherty, director of operations and strategy at the trust, said: “Cerner will continue to be a major partner in the national programme. We will look to rejoin the programme at a stage when it can support and mirror our current functionality, particularly in relation to electronic prescribing, where we currently have very advanced functionality in place.”

Doherty added: “During this interim period we will of course look for opportunities to continue to contribute to the national programme, particularly around electronic prescribing.”