New Cerner deployment goes live in Hampshire

Another health community within the Southern Cluster has gone live with Cerner’s Milllennium patient administration system, delivered by local service provider, Fujitsu as part of the NHS IT programme.

The Cerner system was deployed into three trusts, including one acute trust, as part of the implementation into what Fujitsu terms the ‘Hampshire Deployment Family’. The trusts involved are Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, part of Hampshire Partnership Trust and a part of Hampshire Primary Care Trust.

After repeated delays in recent months the system went live at 9.00am on Saturday morning. The installation marks a milestone for Cerner and Fujitsu as it is the first time a trust has been provided with elements of order communications under the NHS National Programme for IT.

A Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust spokesperson told E-Health Insider: “The new system [Cerner Millenium Release 0] includes a new patient administration system (PAS), a new computer system for A&E, part of the maternity department and parts of the theatre department. Blood and Radiology tests are also now being ordered.” The system went live at 9am on Saturday morning.

The spokesperson added: “Initial reports show that the go live has gone as well as expected.”

The trust and Fujitsu have both told EHI that they are waiting for staff to get adjusted to the system before they issue any further comments. In a statement they said: “As with the nature of new computer systems it will take a while for the new system to properly bed into everyday working. As a result it would not be appropriate for the trusts to comment further on the new system at this time.”

Fujitsu had last summer told the Commons Public Accounts Committee that the Winchester deployment would occur on 25 September.

Two weeks ago, a spokesperson told us: “The Deployment Family made the decision to re-plan their go-live date following lessons from previous R0 go-lives in 2006. In particular the issues with the software around reporting.”

They added: “Lessons learned have been shared from the other trusts who have gone live with R0 and key project team managers have visited some of the other sites…training for the new system was started mid way through 2006 and the majority of critical users of the new system have completed their training. We are now holding refresher training for staff.”

The deployment is the fourth for Fujitsu in the South following installations at Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital, Weston and Mid and South Bucks.

The Hampshire go-live will be a relief to Fujitsu and Cerner, after the Millennium system was criticised by the Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust in a January board paper which said confidence in the system was very low and that problems with reporting created financial risks for the trust.