City company wins £7m NHS deal

Date added: 31 January 2012

A Wolverhampton business will digitise millions of patients’ medical records in a new five-year, multi-million pound deal.

Information management company EDM Group, based in Bilston’s Village Way, has won the £7 million contract to supply Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.

Using software and scanners, EDM Group will transfer digital images and data onto an online workflow system that allows authorised clinicians to have instant access to medical records.

More than 360 million archive images and thousands of daily files will be tracked, transported, captured and scanned.

Sam Ferguson, CEO of EDM Group, said, "EDM Group has vast experience of working with NHS trusts so we are therefore delighted to be awarded this contract. We believe our success was, in part, due to our capacity to meet the project timescale, as well as the quality of our solution which addressed all compliance issues at a competitive cost.”

The IT Director of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust said the work will contribute to both efficiency and security.

Andy Laverick said, "As one of the largest trusts in England, the digitisation of records is part of our ongoing commitment to drive up standards, putting patient care and safety at the heart of everything we do. Not only will using this new system enhance the overall efficiency of the trust, it will also help to reduce costs and increase the security of our patient files.”

EDR Group was one of three shortlisted companies to bid for the contract.