Fujitsu goes live with PACS

PACS digital image system

Fujitsu Services, one of Europe’s leading IT services companies, has gone live with the implementation of the new digital imaging system PACS (picture archiving and communications system) in thirty-eight NHS trusts in England, as well as thirty three NHS trusts implemented with RIS (radiology information system) under the NHS Connecting for Health National Programme for IT.

Implemented in conjunction with GE Healthcare, a division of the General Electric Company, and Healthcare Software Systems (HSS) this includes the implementation at four hospital trusts in one week alone, including James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust in Great Yarmouth. The PACS provided for James Paget sits outside Fujitsu’s specific remit as the Local Service Provider (LSP) for the Southern Programme for IT, to date Fujitsu has implemented a further 2 out-of region, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, these are however still part of the National Programme for IT being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health.

In combination with the other systems being delivered under the National Programme for IT, PACS will enable the electronic capture, storage, display, transmission and retrieval of a patient’s clinical images from anywhere in the country. This means that patients can be treated anywhere without the need to wait for treatment until their records can be retrieved and sent from hospital film libraries in other parts of the country.

The PACS Image Store in the South of England is the first of four stores being established in England which will store new patient images. To-date the PACS Image Store in the South holds over 345 million images (growing at a rate of 3.7 million per week). As PACS is rolled out to hospitals across the country, all patients’ clinical medical images will be stored, and will then be accessible by clinicians anywhere across the nation-wide system. The new system will avoid the need for cumbersome film development processes and delivery by post or hand, and will therefore speed up patient treatment.

David Hill, chief executive of James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust commented: “We are delighted to be working with Fujitsu. Fujitsu stepped into the breach when we were having difficulties. From placing the order at the beginning of June it has only taken three and a half months to go live and PACS is now helping us deliver our vision of better patient care.”

Tony Corkett, programme director for the project at Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority said patients and staff were already benefiting from the switch to the new technology. “The switch from film-based to digital electronic medical images can be likened to what has happened in recent years in photography – the switch from rolls of film to digital cameras - though on a much bigger and more complex scale. The ease with which doctors and other members of the care team will be able call up medical imagery will bring huge benefits to patients – especially in areas such as cancer care and trauma”. “Specialists at different hospitals will be able to view the same images and offer immediate advice and guidance on treatment and care. The new systems will play an indispensable part in reducing the patient’s time of treatment – from the first visit to the GP to an operation or other procedure – to a maximum of 18 weeks by 2008,” he said.

Malcolm Graham, Programme Director, Fujitsu Services said: “Fujitsu Services is very pleased with progress of the roll-out of PACS to the National Programme for IT. The benefits to patient care, and the improvements in the time and efficiency, are already clear in the Trusts using PACS. The contract was awarded in November 2004 and we already have over 345 million patient images in the data centre, with PACS facilities operational in thirty-eight NHS Trusts, and RIS operational in thirty-three NHS Trusts. The success of the programme has been achieved with the strong support of clinicians working with the teams in the Trusts, NHS Connecting for Health, Fujitsu, GE Healthcare and HSS. In the months ahead we look forward to adding many more PACS users to the service.”

Joe Hogan, President and CEO of GE Healthcare commented, "Digital PACS is the future of picture archiving. By initiating digital archiving in these thirty-one trusts, the National Health Service is pioneering a new standard for digital healthcare, benefiting patients and increasing the efficiency of their organizations. We're pleased to support this milestone. The flow of fast and accurate information is a critical factor in today's healthcare environment and will greatly improve the effectiveness of healthcare systems globally."

Nikolas Solomon, Managing Director of Healthcare Software Systems, said “All the staff at HSS is extremely happy to be part of the National Programme jigsaw. We are delighted with the rollout strategy and the amount that has been achieved in such a short space of time. It is also fantastic to see the NHS Trusts embracing the new technology and moving from a department full of paper and film on a Friday to a computer and mouse on Monday. Although we still all have a long way to go, we have a great synergy with the Fujitsu and GE Healthcare teams and I believe this enhances our delivery within the programme and will contribute to the overall success”.

About Fujitsu Services

Fujitsu Services is one of the leading IT services companies in Europe, Middle East and Africa. It has an annual turnover of £2.29 billion (€3.33 billion); employs almost 18,000 people and operates in over 20 countries. It designs, builds and operates IT systems and services for customers in the financial services, telecom, retail, utilities and government markets. Its core strength is the delivery of IT infrastructure management and outsourcing across desktop, networking and data centre environments, together with a full range of related services, from infrastructure consulting through integration and deployment.

Headquartered in London, Fujitsu Services is the European-centred IT services arm of the Fujitsu Group. The Fujitsu Group is a US$40.6 billion (€33.4 billion) leader in the provision of IT systems and services for the global marketplace.

Fujitsu Services website: uk.fujitsu.com

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare’s expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and helping physicians tailor treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients. GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

GE Healthcare website: www.gehealthcare.com

About HSS

Healthcare Software Systems (HSS) are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of innovative Radiology Information Systems. HSS have been designing, developing and supporting RIS systems in the UK for over 23 years and have an extensive customer base throughout the NHS. HSS’ latest flagship product “CRIS” offers a complete solution to the Imaging department to efficiently drive workflow in a modern paperless environment. HSS is headquartered in the Midlands.

HSS website: www.hssnet.com

For further information contact:

Sebastien Duchamp
Communications Director, GE Healthcare
Tel: 00 33130 705710
sebastien.duchamp@ge.com

Emma Savage-Mady
Marketing Manager, Healthcare Software Systems Ltd
Tel +44 (0) 1623 489825
Email: emma.savage-mady@hssnet.com