A healthcare software firm heavily involved in the government’s £12.7bn plan to update the NHS’s IT infrastructure has issued a “come and get us” plea to potential buyers.

iSoft has been put up for sale and suspended trading in its shares after consistently struggling to meet delivery targets with the NHS for new computer systems.

The company’s partner in the contract to upgrade the IT system, Computer Sciences Corporation, has been touted as the most likely buyer for iSoft.

CSC, based in the US, would become one of the biggest operators of hospital computer systems in the NHS if it does acquire the software company.

It would take on about 70 acute hospital sites and a major segment of the community healthcare IT market - adding to an already substantial market value of $7.5bn (£4.6bn) across all of its international operations.

iSoft had won contracts across much of the UK to install its next-generation Lorenzo platform but, due to delays in the systems becoming operational, it missed out on milestone payments from the Department of Health - putting it in financial difficulties.

The failure to meet targets have meant that the government has refused to sign a contract renegotiation with iSoft and CSC.

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