Ipswich takes sweetened Lorenzo deal

The hospital, which currently uses iSoft’s iPM patient administration system, is the fourth trust to accept a new Department of Health deal for trusts in the north, midlands and east which entitles them to additional cash if they agree to buy the CSC system.

The trust said the unspecified financial support was crucial to them accepting the deal. It plans to deploy Lorenzo in full in 2014.

A trust statement said:  “One of the main reasons we have chosen Lorenzo is that it’s a natural migration from the iPM system we are using now, and the data transfer will be managed for us. Another benefit is that NHS Connecting for Health is providing funding.”

The DH announced in September it had struck a deal with CSC to terminate its exclusive right to be the only provider of clinical IT systems in the north, midlands and east of England, which it had been given under the National Programme for IT.

But despite terminating these exclusive rights, the DH said trusts in the region which buy Lorenzo, would have “access to centralised support and funding”.

Three other trusts - Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust and Derby Hospitals Foundation Trust – have also agreed to take the system in exchange for DH support.