IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Tender description

The NHScotland Shared Services Radiology Programme has worked comprehensively with key radiology stakeholders from across Scotland to establish The National Radiology Model. In August 2016, the NHS Chief Executive Group mandated NHS National Services Scotland to implement The Model on a regional and national basis. There are a number of key requirements needed to underpin a National Model for Radiology. One of these is national IT Connectivity which includes the ability to request and report upon images across NHS Health Board boundaries and for that report to be returned to the originating host NHS Board Radiology Information system (RIS). This may be achieved by a new software platform, or by maximizing the functionality of existing software solutions. The expectation is that implementing an IT Connectivity solution which integrates fully with the PACS and/or RIS systems will allow image reporting on every site which would feedback into the host Health Board RIS. The NHScotland Shared Services Radiology Programme has worked comprehensively with key radiology stakeholders from across Scotland to establish The National Radiology Model. In August 2016, the NHS Chief Executive Group mandated NHS National Services Scotland to implement The Model on a regional and national basis. There are a number of key requirements needed to underpin a National Model for Radiology. One of these is national IT Connectivity which includes the ability to request and report upon images across NHS Health Board boundaries and for that report to be returned to the originating host NHS Board Radiology Information system (RIS). This may be achieved by a new software platform, or by maximizing the functionality of existing software solutions. It is recognized that there is a re-procurement process underway for the Scottish Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). The IT Connectivity solution will be required to integrate fully with the current Scottish PACS, and the re-procured Scottish PACS which is scheduled to commence two years henceforth. The expectation is that implementing an IT Connectivity solution which integrates fully with the PACS and/or RIS systems will allow image reporting on every site which would feedback into the host Health Board RIS and will: — provide a comprehensive real-time, unified information system allowing workers to work collectively on a national basis and across traditional Health Board boundaries, — provide an automated cross-boundary requesting and vetting/justification system will be required. The vetting justification system must allow two-way communication with the requesting clinician. In the short-term an extension of the current office based processes could be adapted to support cross-boundary image acquisition pending full implementation. (Hub and spoke cancer services are one of the main drivers for this requirement), — allow for the creation of reporting worklists for reporters in another Health Board or on a regional, specialist or national basis, — provide the ability for reporting clinicians (radiologist/radiographer/other health care professionals) to report from these reporting worklists, — provide an automated cross-boundary report notification system will be required. The report notification system must allow two-way communication with the requesting clinician. In the short-term an extension of the current office based processes could be adapted to support cross-boundary image report notification pending full implementation. Maintenance of clinical safety by allowing notification of urgent or unexpected findings is required within the solution, — provide the ability to count activity to enable accounting and billing mechanisms which record the reporting activity of individual clinicians and apply a cost to the host Health Board, — maintain and build upon all key security and Information Governance requirements nationally. Any solution needs to be adaptable to the variety of local implementation requirements and be able to respond to local and national data reporting requirements using current industry data standards. It will be necessary for the solution to allow for ad-hoc connection using industry standards at the discretion of the users and without further interaction with the supplier to enable. The preferred solution should also be adaptable to manage the multiple interfaces required e.g. PACS, RIS, PAS, IT Security and other standard IT systems.