£20m national PACS solution procured for Wales
Fujifilm wins 7-year contract for central imaging system
Digital X-rays, scans and images will be transferred more easily and quickly between hospitals in Wales following investment in a single national PACS solution.
The Welsh Assembly Government has awarded a seven-year, £20m framework contract to Fujifilm to provide a single picture archiving and communications system (PACS) for the whole of Wales.
The solution was selected by representatives from all local health boards and the Velindre NHS Trust, with help from the NHS Wales Informatics Service.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board will be the first to go live this autumn.
Since digital imaging was introduced into our hospitals we have seen how immediate access to medical images can improve the speed and effectiveness of diagnosis
The technology will mean that images can be shared across all care settings in Wales.
Health Minister, Lesley Griffiths, said of the move: “This is an excellent example of public service organisations working as one to deliver real benefits for the people of Wales. By working together to buy a common service through a framework contract, significant savings can by achieved.
“Since digital imaging was introduced into our hospitals some years ago, we have seen how immediate access to medical images can improve the speed and effectiveness of diagnosis. However, problems in sharing images between organisations because systems were not compatible meant we have not been able to realise the full benefits of this technology.”
By working together to buy a common service through a framework contract, significant savings can by achieved
Dr Keith Griffiths, executive director of therapies and health science at Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board and chair of the PACS programme board, added: “This contract will allow images used for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease to be interpreted and stored in the same system across the whole of Wales.
“The framework agreement with Fujifilm not only modernises the way these images are interpreted and stored, but allows significant financial savings to be made across all the Welsh health boards.”
The first deployment has been led by a project team headed up by radiologist, Dr Charles McConnell, and was completed in under 18 months.
