TPP 'to be second biggest GP supplier'

Healthcare IT system supplier TPP has announced that it expects to become the second biggest supplier of GP systems in England by the end of April.

The supplier says it has more than 100 deployments of its SystmOne GP software planned over the next few months, and that once those sites have gone live its system will be used in more than 1,500 GP practices.

TPP said this would make it the second biggest supplier in England, overtaking competitor INPS.

TPP was set up in 1998. In 2001, just 20 GP practices were using the system. By 2006, more than 200 practices were using its software. Deployments have increased by more than five times since then.

A contract to supply systems under the National Programme for IT in the NHS saw deployments increase rapidly in the North, Midlands and East, where CSC is the local service provider.  

TPP says that, outside the northern NPfIT clusters, it has also been supplying systems through the GP Systems of Choice initiative.

As a result, it says its system is now used by GP practices in 78 primary care trusts, including Devon, Southampton and some PCTs in London.

Kerry Guthrie, customer relations manager, said GPs were choosing SystmOne because it offered connected care and the ability to share the patient record.

She added: “In a financially conscious age we’re also good value for money as all our functionality is deployed as standard so there’s no need for extra bolt-ons.

"Our regular software updates also mean there’s only ever been one version of SystmOne. GPs know they won’t have to update their whole system again in a couple of years.”

In addition to its GP software the Leeds-based supplier has also widely deployed its community and child health systems and also offers software for acute and social care.

Its prison system was selected as the national clinical IT system for prisons in 2009 and is now live in more than 95% of English prisons.