News / Scottish shared services system contract signed

The deal is with COA Solutions, already selected as the provider of a national finance system. However, a different approach to shared services in Scotland meant further functionality was needed to enable the system to be supported across many sites.

The government has moved away from its aim of developing shared services using a hub and spoke model after concerns were raised over the ability to redeploy staff and achieve ambitious savings targets.

Instead, the plan is to establish five consortia across Scotland using a common finance system and business processes.

The consortia are all expected to be operating a common version of the software by April 2009. There are no firm plans to move beyond the consortia arrangement. However, John Francis, programme director of the Shared Support Services Programme, told Healthcare Finance that the consortia would be undertaking pathfinder work.

‘In September 2009, we will revisit the configuration based on the work undertaken in the interim,’ he said.

Further economies of scale could be investigated at that point.

The project is part of the Scottish Government’s wider Efficient Government initiative. As well as delivering local efficiencies for health boards, the project will have national benefits – enabling analysis of data from all the 22 boards to provide a detailed view of the health service.