iSOFT, an IBA Health Group Company, has won a contract for a hospital information system (HIS) from a National Health Service (NHS) trust in southern England worth £2.4 million (US$3.54 mn) over five years.

The contract with Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is for iSOFT's 'i.Patient Manager' (i.PM which is replacing an outdated third-party system known as PAS.

The NHS Foundation Trust elected to contract directly with iSOFT for a replacement PAS instead of waiting for a solution under England's National Programme for IT. This is one of the first major deals in the Southern Cluster, which was formerly serviced by Fujitsu.

"We are associated with iSOFT for Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We already have a strong working relationship with iSOFT as we already use its clinical information system, i.CM, stated Jonathan Pearce, the Trust's director of infrastructure

"The seamless integration with i.CM provides a complete patient and clinical management solution to better manage appointments, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times. It also provides a foundation for a smooth transition to iSOFT's next generation of healthcare solutions. This underlines our position as the leading provider of healthcare solutions to the NHS," Stevens said.

The Trust serves a population of more than 450,000 in six locations: Wexham Park Hospital near Slough, Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, and hospitals and outpatient clinics in Bracknell, Maidenhead, the Chalfonts, and Windsor.

Adrian Stevens, managing director of iSOFT, UK and Ireland, said: "i.PM is a highly robust and proven solution from a company with an established pedigree in the NHS."