NHS Digital has named 69 suppliers for the new GP IT Futures procurement framework, set to go into operation on 1 January next year.
It said it has completed the assessments and reviews of supplier submissions and has begun the next stage of systems assurance, which is due to be completed in the coming weeks.
The organisation has also notified the companies of its intention to award framework agreements subject to them completing the assurance process successfully.
This marks a step forward in the development of GP IT Futures, which is set to replace the existing GP System of Choice (GPSoC) framework for GPs and associated organisations under the new Digital Care Services model – aimed at helping the GP IT market respond to new models of care.
Of the 69 suppliers, 16 are on GPSoc, three are newcomers in providing core clinical systems, and 53 offer a range of additional system capabilities for primary care. The range of capabilities includes GP referral management, prescribing, recording consultations, patient information maintenance, GP resource management and appointments management.
Effective and efficient
Sarah Wilkinson, NHS Digital’s chief executive, said: “GPs and their patients deserve the most effective and efficient modern technology with which to run their practices and access their data respectively, and the health and care system at large needs easier access to the critical data held within the primary care system to enable better secondary care and a richer flow of data into medical research.
“We are delighted that the supplier community has responded so positively to our proposal for the next generation of these systems and are going to provide such a rich set of technical solutions for primary care.
“We look forward to working closely with all of them over the coming years, and I thank them all for the work they have done to ensure their solutions meet our new standards and for their work in delivering them into the primary care system.”
NHS Digital is managing the continuity and transition arrangements with the aim of ensuring that all practices have access to the systems and services without any interruption throughout this period.
