Carelink secures HSCN compliance
Company named as a compliant Consumer Network Services Provider for a range of network and infrastructure services for UK healthcare providers
Carelink has attained Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) accreditation and been named as a compliant Consumer Network Services Provider (CNSP).
The accrediation will enable the company to offer a range of network and infrastructure services to UK healthcare providers.
Technology has moved on considerably, and N3, which was built as fortress to protect the NHS, has become a prison that now inhibits innovation and competition
Carelink will provide healthcare organisations connectivity into HSCN, secure internet connectivity and through exciting partnerships, connectivity into JANET, the academic network and the Public Services Network (PSN).
Its ITIL aligned managed services are ISO20000 and ISO 27001 accredited, ensuring the highest levels of security and availability.
Carelink will also be able to offer a range of cloud services through its own private cloud or through its partnerships with AWS, Azure and public sector cloud specialists UKCloud.
The company will provide a single management interface to these cloud environments, along with a portfolio of security and healthcare solutions, in order to simplify the supplier landscape and offer a one-stop-shop to meet the broad needs of health and social care organisations.
Darren Turner, managing director of Carelink, said: “Carelink is the longest-serving managed services provider for N3 and its predecessors – NHSnet and N2.
“There is little doubt the network achieved a lot, connecting over 1.3 million NHS staff, GP practices and clinics, but technology has moved on considerably, and N3, which was built as fortress to protect the NHS, has become a prison that now inhibits innovation and competition.
“It is incompatible with healthcare’s drive towards patient-centric and integrated care and achieving the aspirations of the Health Secretary’s NHS Five Year Forward View and National Information Board’s Personalised Health and Care 2020.
“HSCN provides users with a competitive environment, competing not only on price, but around innovation and customer services.”
Crown Commercial Services framework, RM3825, is being designed for the procurement of HSCN services and is due to go live in October 2017. Carelink has been involved in the industry consultations with CCS and will be participating in the process for inclusion as soon as it is available.
Michael Bowyer, industry lead for the creation of the Obligations Framework for HSCN and director at Innopsis, said: “HSCN delivers the first true disaggregated supply and service model for public sector that enables all suppliers, regardless of size, to compete in the healthcare and social care market.
HSCN provides users with a competitive environment, competing not only on price, but around innovation and customer services
“Each vendor that achieves HSCN stage 1 compliance further demonstrates that the supplier community is very robust and today has the capability and innovation to achieve the operational and commercial objectives now demanded by the user community.
“Stage 1 compliance by Carelink demonstrates they are ready to address this valuable market and I look forward to hearing and tracking their journey to achieve stage 2 compliance for HSCN in due course.”
