EMIS WEB GPSoC Lot 2 services

Concepts

• belfast
• information technology
• emis web gp practices
• gms services
• emis
• emis web gpsoc lot 2 services
• the emis web clinical system
• the emis web system
• the emis envisage patient call and information display systems
• the essential lot2 support services

Location

BELFAST

Description

The services required are: • Hardware Support and Maintenance: Remote and on-site hardware support of the server, desktops, laptops, script printers, label printers, colour printers and scanners located in EMIS WEB GP Practices. This includes the management of an ICT estate of 14,856 devices across the 196 practices ensuring that the hardware receives the necessary patching and security upgrades to ensure ongoing compatibility with the EMIS WEB system and compliance with Cyber Security obligations. The supply and installation of ICT Hardware replacement consumable parts that are outside the 3 year warranty also comes under this remit. • Envisage Support and Maintenance: Remote and on-site software and hardware support of the EMIS Envisage Patient Call and Information Display systems From September 2024, EMIS will commence a migration project involving the migration of 118 GP Practices from another clinical system. It is expected that 30 migrations will be completed in 2024/25 and the remaining 88 migrations to take place in 2025/26. It is essential to ensure that the BSO have a facility to order the essential LoT2 support services from EMIS for these additional practices in event that these services are not yet available on the NHS England Catalogue to order via the NI GPDCS Framework. Note that the annual maintenance/servicing costs and consumable costs includes provision for these additional practices, to migrate during 2024/25 and 2025/26, on a pro rata basis

Total Quantity or Scope

GP Practices depend upon IT systems and services to deliver their services to their patients. Without IT, practices would depend upon manual processes and that would very significantly impact on the ability of the 196 EMIS WEB practices to provide GMS services. 196 Practices use the EMIS WEB clinical system to access patient histories, record consultations, issue prescriptions and maintain electronic patient records within their practice. These GP IT Clinical Systems then also interface electronically with other HSC systems - E.g. lab results, radiology reports, registration links, Emergency Care Summary, Key Information Summary, Electronic Document Transfer, GPIP etc. The hardware required to access and update patient records on the EMIS WEB Clinical System must be supported and maintained to ensure continued availability as well as compliance with the latest security patches to prevent cyber security issues. GP Practices also utilise Envisage Patient Call and Information Display systems so that GP Practice staff or the clinician do not have to spend significant time manually calling the patients when the clinician is ready to see them.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Indicators

• Award on basis of price.

Legal Justification

Currently there are 196 NI GP practices using the EMIS Web GP clinical system for patient management. The current contract for the support of these systems will expire on 31st March 2024. That contract enables the provision and support of the EMIS Web system to those 196 practices. There is a yearly support fee per practice payable to EMIS as they provide support to the practices for the EMIS Web system. This is similar to the model in other countries (England, Scotland and Wales). Where the EMIS Web system is supplied to practices, it is EMIS who directly provide the support to practices as well. EMIS have dedicated application support teams, technical support teams, Data Centre support teams and account management teams for the EMIS Web application in Northern Ireland. This specialist knowledge and relationship ensures NI practices are maximising their EMIS Web application and system availability is maintained for practices from within their Data Centres. For a 3rd party to be contracted to provide application, hosting, technical and account management support for EMIS Web in NI, would present a significant risk to the 196 GP practices. The experience of the current EMIS support teams for their EMIS Web product has been built up over a period of time that in turn provides the required level of service, as per the NI GPSoC contract, to the 196 GP practices in NI. There is no other support provider that can provide this service without first having to build the relevant knowledge in order to provide the required support services to the practices. As continued access to the GP clinical information system is vital for the delivery of GP services, the 196 GP practices would be subject to disruption with a change in support provider, undoubtedly affecting the service the practices can then deliver to their patients. To enable the EMIS Web system to meet the needs of the 196 practices, it must interoperate with other specific hardware and software - such as patient check-in and patient call systems. Hardware and software must be compatible with EMIS Web if it is to function correctly. The technical support of this hardware and software provided by anyone other than EMIS introduces significant risk of failure and disruption to practices due to the specific interoperability between the hardware and the EMIS Web system. . Further, EMIS is currently responsible for the EMIS Web system and for the specific hardware and software. The responsibility for resolving any issues of interoperability between these components rests solely with EMIS. The technical support of such hardware and software by an additional 3rd party, with limited or no technical knowledge of the EMIS WEB System configuration, would introduce risk and uncertainty into the support process where it is likely that both suppliers would blame each other for any failures, so delaying resolution and prolonging disruption to practices. This pairing of EMIS Web with the specific hardware and software is in place in the 196 practices. To ensure that the equipment continues to operate as intended, the supply of replacement hardware consumable components, as well as relevant engineering services, is required. The supply of incompatible components or the provision of engineering services by non EMIS engineers significantly increases the risk of failure and prolonging disruption to practices.