INPS, a software supplier for general practice and the British subsidiary of Cegedim, has decided to “voluntarily place itself under administration” with effect from 10 December 2024, according to a press release.
The release shares that the decision to enter administration has been made in view of “financial difficulties”, adding that technically the subsidiary “will cease to be consolidated by the Group” following the announcement, “due to the loss of control from an accounting standpoint”.
In May 2024, NHS Scotland’s delivery plan highlighted an intention to roll-out Cegedim Vision’s cloud-based solution, with an aim to fully roll-out the platform by 2026. In May 2024, the programme was said to be “on track”.
In England, the NHS Tech Innovation Framework has progressed to support new entrants into the primary care clinical system market. One supplier on the framework, OX.DH, has been collaborating with practices as part of the framework early adopter programme ahead of an OX.gp launch in early 2025.
Last month, we launched a poll asking our audience on LinkedIn: Two years from now, how many GP clinical system (core electronic health record) suppliers do you think there will be: 1-3, 4-5, or 6+? The majority of respondents thought the most likely answer would be “1-3”, with this option attracting 43 percent of votes, including from a chief architect, a technical delivery manager, a digital support technician, and a CDIO.
Digital in primary care
NHS England published the latest statistics on appointments in general practice covering the month of September 2024, with a breakdown of appointment mode showing an increase of almost 900,000 in the number of appointments delivered online or through video conferencing compared to September 2023.
NHS Black Country ICB shared how its digital first primary care team led a GP website improvement programme, supporting all 171 GP practices in the Black Country to update their websites as part of efforts to improve accessibility and ensure that sites are user friendly. The ICB highlighted how the project saw an “extensive amount of research, design and development” to ensure that changes to the websites met user needs, with the team engaging with patient participation groups, people panels and GP/PCN events.
And NHS Kent and Medway’s five-year primary care strategy was published, with a focus on improving access through digital front doors, increased use of the NHS app, and digital appointment systems. It highlighted same day access hubs, online consultations, cloud telephony, care navigation and triage, and access to self-care, with key enablers including workforce, estates, digital technology, and communications. Sukh Singh, director of primary and community care at the ICB, said the changes introduced reflect the move to a position where “everyone will be triaged, a bit like when you arrive at a hospital”.
