The current Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) contract with Insignia Medical Systems is due to expire in June 2020. This is a collaborative agreement for the 5 Acute Trusts within Devon and Cornwall. Due to the way PACS integrates with other systems in each Trust, a paper was produced giving a number of possible procurement options. This paper was considered by the Senior Responsible Officer for the Project and the recommendation of a 3 year extension approved by the regional PACS and RIS User Group (PRUG). This recommendation was then approved and signed off by PACS Steering Groups and at Board level at each Trust. As a result of this, the contract has been extended for a further 3 years, with savings of £481,000 per year.
There was also a full Technical Refresh (where IT hardware required to run PACS is upgraded). After evaluation of the existing hardware, much had been under-utilised during the contract, agreement was made with Insignia Medical Systems to upgrade elements of the hardware where possible (e.g. upgrade to Windows 10) rather than completely replace all hardware. This resulted in a further total cash benefit of £68,000 for the participating Trusts.