Misys wins significant NHS contract
- Largest ever integrated pathology information system contract in UK
- Multi-million pound contract means Misys will supply 5 London hospitals with Misys Laboratory™
Misys plc – Britain’s largest independent applications software provider - has signed an agreement to supply five leading London hospitals with its award-winning Misys Laboratory Information System and CoPathPlus® software.
The agreement, with the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust on behalf of the West London Pathology Consortium (WLPC), will enable the streamlining of pathology services (such as blood tests and blood transfusions) to Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Chelsea & Westminster, Queen Charlotte’s and St. Mary’s hospitals in west London.
The multi-million pound contract, with Misys Healthcare Systems – a division of Misys plc - will provide a single IT infrastructure across the five sites and will interface with three hospital Trust patient administration systems, allowing the WLPC to replace six existing disparate systems. The implementation work will begin in April.
The contract has been funded primarily by an award from the Invest to Save Pathology Modernisation Fund – part of The Pathology Modernisation Programme (PMP) funded by the UK government. The ten year PMP strategy is aimed at modernising pathology services, essential in delivering fast and accurate diagnoses and effective medication for patients.
Kevin Lomax, Chairman, Misys, commented: “We are delighted to be able to supply our award-winning Misys Laboratory system to these renowned London hospitals. The product, which is already installed in over 1,200 hospitals in the United States, Canada, Denmark, UK, Ireland and Saudi Arabia is again proving to be an attractive and, most importantly, reliable system around the world.“
Gerald Haffenden, Acting Executive Manager of WLPC, said: "Representatives from all disciplines and sites were involved in the extensive evaluation and the Misys product line best met the complex requirements of our evolving organisation. The ability to book in specimens anywhere in the Consortium and then accurately keep track of them with true multi-site support was mandatory and these are standard features of Misys Laboratory™."
Jeremy Beacham, Acting General Manager of Pathology and Therapy Services at Hammersmith Hospitals Trust, commented: "Misys' approach to multi-site laboratory computing and a development strategy that matched our own vision gave us confidence in the new products. However, as important as the functionality, was the company's reputation for providing high quality 24 hour support. Now we have the right IT tools to help us to modernise services we need to press on with the implementation and use them effectively.”
Notes to editors:
About Misys LaboratoryMisys Laboratory is a comprehensive, high-performance laboratory information system that manages specimen data from requisition entry to production of the final cumulative report. Misys Laboratory allows any user to virtually customise a laboratory system. Key system components include: General Lab, Outreach, Episode Management, Lab Access Results, Multi-facility Support, Blood Bank Donor, Blood Bank Transfusion, Ad Hoc Report Writer, Microbiology, Medical Necessity Checker, and Instrument Autofiling.
Misys Laboratory is a trademark of Misys Hospital Systems, L.L.C. d/b/a Misys Healthcare Systems. All other brands, names and marks are the property of their respective owners
Misys Laboratory is a trademark of Misys Hospital Systems, L.L.C. d/b/a Misys Healthcare Systems. All other brands, names and marks are the property of their respective owners
About CoPathPlusCoPathPlus® is an industry recognized histology and cytology, also known as anatomic pathology, information system designed for the unique workflow requirements of the anatomic pathology department. The system provides healthcare providers with convenient, comprehensive patient and specimen information views and reports. Healthcare providers are able to tailor report formats and incorporate images and diagrams for a clear picture of diagnostic findings. Robust billing features are designed to ensure accurate, complete and timely billing to save time while increasing revenue and improving cash flow.
About Misys Healthcare SystemsMisys Healthcare Systems is a division of Misys plc and is among the top five healthcare IT companies in the United States.
The company designs, develops, and supports a comprehensive suite of information products for hospitals, commercial laboratories, physician practices and home care providers that serve the healthcare IT industry’s broadening spectrum of needs. Misys Healthcare Systems’ three business units have a well-established customer base with 85,000 physicians, 1,200 hospitals, 600 home care providers, and hundreds of laboratories, clinics, managed services organizations and other related organizations using the company’s products and services.
About West London Pathology ConsortiumThe West London Pathology Consortium is a partnership between Hammersmith Hospitals Trust (Hammersmith, Charing Cross and Queen Charlotte’s), St Mary’s NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare Trust and Imperial College School of Medicine. A Board comprising the Chief Executives and Clinical Directors of Pathology of the partner trusts, the Principal of Imperial College Faculty of Medicine with an independent chairman governs the partnership. The Royal Brompton & Harefield Trust is represented as an observer in anticipation of its joining the partnership at a later date.
The West London Pathology Consortium has created a strategic alliance in respect of pathology services and is in the process of developing a truly integrated service with the management board being responsible for the delivery of services to the three participating Trusts.
The West London Pathology Consortium has been very successful in attracting modernisation funds as follows:
- IT infrastructure across Hammersmith/Mary’s/Charing Cross/Chelsea & Westminster £1,800k;
- Specialist perinatal post-mortem facilities for the West London Consortium £797k;
- Centralisation of virology services West London Consortium - £771k.
The Pathology Modernisation website is at http://www.doh.gov.uk/pathologymodernisation/
About the West London hospitalsThe Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust includes the Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's and Charing Cross Hospitals, which are part of the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine. The Chief Executive is Derek Smith who succeeded John Cooper in October 2001. Within the Trust, Hammersmith is the centre for neonatalogy, cardiac surgery, cardiology and clinical haematology, among other fields. The Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Womens’ and Maternity Hospital, formerly in Chiswick, relocated to the Du Cane Road site in 2000 and has been designated a national centre for females with congenital abnormalities of the genital tract.
The Hammersmith site now has a medical assessment unit, which allows more tests to be carried out in one place, and enables the best course of treatment to be identified sooner. The Trust has recently set up call centres, allowing patients to have easier access to booking appointments and admissions.
Professor Robert Winston’s fertility department is world-renowned and is often featured in the media. Hammersmith was also the first filmless hospital in the country, having developed the picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) allowing x ray and scan images to be available to medical staff at the stroke of a key on PCs throughout the hospital. Charing Cross is the Trust’s centre for neurology, ophthalmology and also the joint centre with Hammersmith Hospital for cancer services including oncology, where it works together with Ealing and Kingston Hospitals. The hospital is the centre for pharmacy quality assessment, not just for the Trust, but also for several neighbouring Trusts.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is another of the teaching centres for the Imperial College School of Medicine. This new hospital, opened in 1993, offers a wide range of medical and surgical services to the local population, with specialist care for referrals from all over the country. Specialist services include childrens' medical and surgical care, with a childrens' accident and emergency department treating 20,000 children each year; a maternity service delivering 4,000 babies a year and a neonatal intensive care unit.
The Trust offers many medical specialties including a cardiology service which works closely with the Royal Brompton and Harefield Trust, a respiratory medicine service as well as a stroke unit. The “medicine of ageing” department provides a model for other units around the country. The dermatology department sees more than 30,000 patients a year with a team of seven consultants offering a range of specialist services. The diabetes Beta Cell Centre offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to diabetes care.
There is an innovative sexual health service which operates from the hospital as well as from the West London Centre in Charing Cross Hospital and the Victoria Clinic in the South Westminster Centre for Health in Pimlico. Services include sexual health checks, advice and information, family planning advice, free contraception and confidential counselling. The HIV services are the biggest in the UK and among the very best in Europe with an academic research programme and one of the biggest clinical trials units in the UK. The unit treats more than 20% of the UK caseload of HIV positive patients.
In July 1999, the hospital was named as one of 23 Human Resources Beacon sites across the country. Its intensive care and nursing development unit was awarded a Charter Mark in 1999. The day surgery and hand management unit also received a Charter Mark award in January 2001.
St Mary’s Hospital is one of the UK’s leading teaching hospitals, receiving specialist referrals from around the country in a wide range of specialities. It also provides a full range of acute services to the local inner London population. Situated next to Paddington Station, the hospital was widely applauded for its handling of the Paddington rail disaster in 1999. In partnership with the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust and Imperial College, St Mary's is planning the redevelopment of its current site to create the Paddington Basin Health Campus. It is planned that the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals will move so they are next to St Mary's. The Western Eye Hospital will also move onto this site. The campus will be a specialist centre for heart and lung and children's services.
St Mary’s and Imperial College have a strong history of world class medical research, including two Nobel prizes, one of them for the discovery of penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928. This tradition continues today, with particular expertise in immunology, HIV and CJD among many other areas. The private Lindo wing has been the site of several royal births, including those of the princes, William and Harry.
For more information:
| Paul Charles, Head of Group Media Relations, Misys plc | 020 7368 2315 |
| Tara Ferguson Jones, Press and Communications Office, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust | 020 8383 3002 |
| Dr. Kevin Feltham, IT Project Manager, WLPC | 020 8383 1946 |
About Misys plcMisys plc is one of the world's leading software products suppliers. Misys, based in the UK, partners with its customers to deliver outstanding IT solutions to essential industries. The group develops and licenses products to the international banking and securities, international healthcare, and UK retail financial services sectors. Misys employs over 6,500 people. For more information, visit www.misys.com
