NHS Direct looks for financial systems efficiencies

Provider considers outsourcing options to reduce costs in a changing environment

NHS Direct has issued a pre-tender for outsourcing services to upgrade its financial systems to enable it to compete in a new competitive environment.

In its pre-tender document, NHS Direct said it has an in-house Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger and Financial Systems function, using Oracle Version 12, with the system platform and database management undertaken by Fujitsu.

But looking ahead, the organisation wants to reduce its costs to provide a more efficient service in the future as it adapts to a different NHS, including locally driven NHS 111 triage services.

NHS Direct says the key components of the project are transactional financial services including ledger services, and the use of technology and lean processes to improve efficiency. Its estimated costs of future services for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Financial Systems services are expected to be around £800,000 over four years, including set up costs. It plans to let a contract for 4 years with an option for two further years.

NHIS Direct says the financial changes must be considered because the organisation faces greater competition to provide services as the government seeks to create a market for the services that previously NHS Direct has been nationally commissioned to provide. At the same time the commissioning regime is changing with the majority of NHS services to be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups which are expected to be fully in place by April 2013.