Effective from the 1st January 2007, the move means McKesson UK’s networking staff, products and services have been transferred to Networks First and its partner Bates IT, both of whom have established working relationships within the Healthcare arena.
As an international provider of IT products, software and services exclusively to the healthcare industry, in the UK McKesson supports virtually every aspect of healthcare, providing over 350 NHS organisations with a range of services that include patient administration and clinical services delivered at the point-of-care as well as business, HR and financial applications; all underpinned by a full suite of outsourcing and managed services.
The decision to move its network services to Networks First and Bates IT is part of a wider business strategy that will see McKesson UK focus on future opportunities based around expanding and delivering this range of software delivery services across the NHS.
Charmaine McDonald at McKesson, explains: “Networks First and Bates IT have been specifically chosen to ensure that our customers receive the best networking services available. From an everyday perspective, the delivery of the network services will be unaffected. Customers will continue to be served by their existing contacts, and the terms and conditions of networking contracts will be unchanged after the transfer.”
Networks First, a specialist provider of support services for network infrastructures with multi-vendor, mixed technology capabilities, currently maintains the networks of a number of McKesson’s customers and has an NHS PASA framework agreement. It will deliver full network support to the existing McKesson customers through its partner, Bates IT and as a focused services company, can also provide experience and expertise across a broader range of network infrastructure issues such as IP Telephony, convergence and security.
Bates IT is a specialist channel company with a wealth of Healthcare experience. It has worked in conjunction with a number of Primary Contractors, including McKesson, in numerous NHS Trust Hospitals as well as Primary Care Trusts.
Peter Titmus, Managing Director, Networks First, said: “This is a significant event in the development of Networks First. It further cements our position in the market and is an excellent opportunity to showcase the calibre of our network services.
He continued: ‘We are committed to providing a service that helps our partners and customers achieve excellence. McKesson, Networks First and Bates IT are working together to ensure that this change is carried out efficiently and that any concerns that the customers may have are addressed. With this in mind, we are working closely to discuss and agree the details of the transition arrangements with every customer.”