Computer Sciences Corporation has signed a seven-year contract with Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, a medical and surgical services provider, for a new program of work to outsource the trust’s technology services.

CSC will be responsible for hosting, developing and managing much of the trust’s information technology and back-office processes.

The contract has an option to extend to 10 years. CSC said in a release it will provide IT help desk, networking, infrastructure, desktop engineering, application development and support. The company will also advise and support the trust’s efforts regarding a clinically driven health informatics function.

Earlier this summer, the trust completed its transition of service to CSC, including transferring IT staff. A coordinated transformation program will support a scheduled move to a new electronic patient record system, CSC said in the release.

“This agreement comes at a time when many organizations, including NHS trusts, are looking for considerable efficiency gains from their IT expenditure,” said Sheri Thureen, CSC president of U.K. healthcare.

“We believe this work will encourage other trusts to consider outsourcing as an attractive means of improving service and driving efficiencies, while allowing them to concentrate on their core competencies in healthcare delivery,” added Thureen.

Source: ExecutiveBiz