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Construction Projects and Reorganisations within NHS Generate ICT Opportunities

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Dec 2 2013

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "NHS Construction and Reorganisation: Implications for ICT" report to their offering.

The changes described in this report will continue to generate a variety of specific opportunities for ICT suppliers. These vary significantly from trust to trust, but there are common themes, such as the provision of new wireless hardware and mobile computers including tablets that may have been difficult to use in an older building; from software, where a new system may be more attractive than joining two old ones together; from ICT service transition costs such as work on system integration and consultancy; and on communications hardware to facilitate mobile computing.

NHS hospital construction projects often produce significant improvements in the hospital environment, allowing ICT practices that are often impossible within the replaced buildings, such as full use of wireless.

However in these austere times funding has become a much more significant issue. There is an increase flavour of financing being undertaken which will create different opportunities for consortia or suppliers. The report considers some of the most significant PFI construction projects with their ICT implications, in order of planned opening date.

Key Market Issues

Gain insight into the UK ICT healthcare market.
Gain insight into the reorganisation of the UK healthcare market and the implications for ICT.
Gain insight into the ICT opportunities within the UK healthcare market.

Key Highlights

Construction projects and reorganisations within the NHS generate a range of ICT opportunities, including those specifically supporting a move or merger such as system integration and replacement purchases across new organizations. However, they often also trigger transformative' work, such as the adoption of wireless technology, a move to paper-free or paper-light operation, the implementation of electronic patient record software or a combination of these.
NHS hospital construction projects tend to replace buildings which are several decades old. As a result, they tend to produce significant improvements in the hospital environment, allowing ICT practices that are often impossible within the replaced buildings, such as full use of wireless.
The private finance initiative (PFI) has dominated hospital building projects in England in recent years, and some projects are still under construction. However, some trusts have found alternative funding mechanisms, including direct grants, charitable donations and pension funds, and the government has outlined changes to PFI, known as PF2. Scotland has developed an alternative to PFI, known as the Non Profit Distributing (NPD) model, which it is using to fund new construction.