NEC to provide methadone dispensers to prisons

NEC UK has signed a five-year framework agreement with the Department of Health to provide biometric-based Computer Controlled Methadone Dispensing System (CCMDS) to prisons in England.

The agreement will see NEC deliver CCMDS to up to 100 prisons in England and provide ongoing technical support and consultancy for five years.

CCMDS will use a combination of unique biometric identifiers, such as a fingerprint or iris scans to access the prisoner’s treatment record before dispensing methadone.

Richard Farnworth, general manager of enterprise solutions for NEC UK, told E-Health Insider Primary Care: “The system is procured directly by the PCTs for their local prison so they control the care plans at the back end of the system. Each prisoner is enrolled onto the system in 10 minute sessions where biometrics are taken to ensure the dispensing system can quickly identify the prisoner and ensure that they get the right dose.”

Phase One, where CCDMS will be implemented in 72 prisons, commenced in December 2007, and currently 16 prisons have gone live with the system.

Farnworth added: “CCMDS enables the accurate and controlled dispensing of prescribed methadone to prisoners addicted to heroin, according to the requirements outlined in their individual treatment record.

“It prevents accidental over/under-prescription and unauthorised usage, in addition to enabling advanced personalisation of treatment and the development of an accurate, automated treatment history.”

Participation in CCMDS is not mandatory for prisoners and there is no infringement of personal security or human rights as CCMDS does not physically store ‘images’ of biometric data, only the coding which enables an individual to be identified.

David Payette, CEO and president of NEC UK said: “CCMDS is a compelling example of biometric technology being used in a challenging real-life environment and clearly demonstrates that biometric-based identification systems are simple to implement, manage and use.

Dave Marteau, offender health substance misuse lead at the Department of Health, added: “Biometric-based systems provide a level of patient safety that is highly desirable in a busy treatment environment. Our larger prisons see ten new patients per day, and have as many as three hundred patients on treatment at any one time.

“Biometric recognition linked to a computerised prescription is an excellent patient safety support to our clinicians.”

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