Overview of the PACS procurement project within South West London

Abstract

Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) as the future of radiology is generally accepted, but the challenge is how to deliver this technology to meet the needs of the changing NHS and support evolving patient care packages. Within South West London there is also the challenge of affordability: PACS is not a cost-neutral solution and requires substantial funding support from both secondary and primary care. It is to overcome these issues that a new approach has been taken within South West London. The six service providers have formed a consortium to procure a single sectorwide PACS system to meet the needs of the sector as a whole and deliver the system at the most affordable cost. The project is still in its early stages but, to date, all of the providers are working together and the procurement process is under way. Remaining challenges include funding the project following Shifting the Balance of Power changes, the networking to support the project, and patient identification within a multi Patient Administration System/Radiology Information System (PAS/RIS) environment.4