NHS Digital has taken a step towards the creation of a new IT procurement framework for GPs to replace the existing GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) arrangement.
It has posted a prior information notice for potential suppliers, indicating that the new General Practice IT Framework will be broader than the old system, providing for electronic record and patient management systems and ancillary services such as advanced document management and clinical support.
GPSoC is due to expire in December, and NHS Digital – which provides digital services for NHS England organisations – has said it wants the new framework to support new models of care and the activities of federated GP practices.
The notice says it is changing the approach away from having principal and subsidiary systems towards a more modular approach to developing digital solutions, and the NHS Digital wants to make it easier for suppliers to provide discrete capabilities and provide buyers with more choice.
Examples
It lays out examples of the solutions, including patient record systems for multi-disciplinary settings, GP systems designed for traditional general practice, and digital services such as clinical decision support, e-consultation and mobile solutions.
It also indicates an interest patient facing services such as personal health records, digital therapies and practice communications apps.
The solutions will be available not just to GPs but primary care homes, community providers and other integrated care systems.
In an earlier statement of its plans, NHS Digital said: “We want to develop the GP IT market to meet growing needs in new models of care and in federated GP practices.
“We are using technology and data to transform patient care in general practice. This will help to improve quality, safety and efficiency, as defined in the GP Forward View."
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