NHS Wales is planning to deploy a Primary Care Workforce Intelligence System to support its strategic workforce planning.
The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP), which will operate the system, has agreed on a £1.14 million contract with services provider Softcat for its development.
It will replace the existing Wales National Workforce Reporting System with an integrated system that brings together information on the primary care workforce, along with the Medical Performers List, Opthalmic Performers List, Dental Performers List and All Wales Pharmacy Database.
The latter four record the eligibility of clinical professionals in Wales to provide relevant NHS services, and record details of their employer organisations that hold contracts to provide care to NHS health boards in the country.
Process integration
According to the contract award notice, the new solution will provide an electronic platform for user self-service in English and Welsh, “with integration of processes between applicants, performers, and health professionals in medical, dental, ophthalmic and community pharmacy practices the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and health boards”.
It will also provide data integration links to other dependent services, the Welsh Government and other external bodies, manage the onboarding and accrediting of primary care providers, monitor service delivery against agreements and be compatible with Microsoft Office 365.
The notice adds that the data demographics and reporting functions of the system are essential to workforce planning.
