Emis rocks EPR contract for Gibraltar

Emis Group has won a ten year contract, worth up to £11.25m, to deliver an electronic patient record for the small but extensive health service of Gibraltar.

The win is the first international whole healthcare economy contract for the company, and will include a localised version of its Patient.co.uk service as an online health service for the residents of the British overseas territory.

The Gibraltar Health Authority runs three major facilities; St Bernard’s Hospital, a 210 bed civilian hospital opened in 2005, a primary care centre with 16 GPs, and the King George V Hospital, which provides psychiatric services.

It issued a tender in December for a medical software package and associated services, including implementation, integration, training and support.

Under the contract, St Bernard’s Hospital will deploy a patient administration system, emergency department system, e-prescribing and other software from Ascribe, which Emis bought in September last year.

Ascribe will also supply mental health systems, while the primary care centre will use Emis Web. Ascribe’s business intelligence and business transformation teams will help to deliver clinical benefits.

Gibraltar’s minister for health, Dr John Cortes, said in a statement: “The system will bring benefits to the provision of healthcare in Gibraltar, and marks a new beginning for the Gibraltar Health Authority.

“It marks a huge milestone in the development of Gibraltar’s healthcare, and is in keeping with the government’s policy for e-government.”

Gibraltar has its own government, with an elected parliament of 18 members. It’s ministry of health is responsible for health policy, while the Gibraltar Health Authority is responsible for providing care for the 30,000 people who live on the rock and pay into a group practice medical scheme.

The authority employs around 900 people, who handle around 37,000 A&E attendances, 40,000 outpatient appointments, and 90,000 GP visits a year. Some specialist care is provided by visiting consultants or in UK and Spanish hospitals.

The EPR project will be implemented in three phases, with the first phase covering primary care and A&E, the second secondary care and the third mental health. The whole project will be completed within 18 months, with this part of the contract worth £3.5m.

Chris Spencer, chief executive of Emis Group, described the whole project as “exciting” and said it would demonstrate its “cross-healthcare capabilities.”

“From GP consultations to emergency treatment and specialist services, our market-leading software will enable the Gibraltar Health Authority to deliver a truly integrated service to patients,” he said.