One supplier to go for GPES

The NHS Information Centre appears to be on the verge of having all the major GP clinical systems suppliers signed up to the General Practice Extraction Service.

The NHS IC has signed contracts with four out of five of the main suppliers to extract and communicate data from practices to the information centre via a centrally managed data extraction service.

An NHS IC spokesman said it hoped to come to an agreement with the last supplier, TPP, “shortly” and the company says it expects to have a contract signed within two weeks.

EMIS was the first supplier to sign-up to develop the necessary GPES software in December last year. Microtest, iSoft and INPS have followed suit.

Atos was appointed before Christmas to supply the software system that will produce the queries required to extract specified data from GP systems.

The chief executive of the NHS IC, Tim Straughan, said GPES would offer an “unprecedented, standardised picture of primary care information across England.”

Patient confidentiality would be protected through “robust information governance principles” and the new service would reduce the administrative burdens for GPs and practice staff.

“We are delighted that we now have nearly all contracts with GP system suppliers in place, allowing us to begin implementation of the planned new system for supporting GP practice payments through the new Calculating Quality Reporting Service in April 2013,” said Straughan.

“We hope that TPP will be able to shortly enter into a similar agreement with the NHS IC, so that they are also able to assure practices using their systems that they will be able to support delivery on Quality and Outcomes Framework and to other commitments that GPES will support.”

A TPP spokesperson said nothing was specifically delaying the deal and the company expects the contract with the NHS IC to be signed in the next fortnight.