BT can now bid for new local NHS contracts having been accredited as a supplier for the new Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) run by NHS Digital. The company has also announced the appointment of Jason Hall to the newly created position of Director of Health.
Jason will be responsible for securing and delivering new customer contract wins on the HSCN and leading BT’s strategy and portfolio for the health sector. Jason's previous experience leading IT transformation programme teams for the NHS, HMRC and Home Office brings knowledge and expertise to the role. He has a deep insight into the health sector, having served as Non-Executive Director for the NHS for six years. Prior to this latest appointment at BT, Jason was BT’s Director of Central Government and Police.
Jason’s previous role at BT will now come under a new combined Defence, Central and Police market unit, led by Bill Holford, previously Director Defence.
The new HSCN, which links health and social care providers for the first time, will replace the N3 framework which has been built and managed by BT. In the interim period, BT is delivering the Transition Network which provides service continuity to health and social care providers as they look to migrate across to the HSCN. In order to become a fully accredited HSCN supplier, BT proved that it can meet rigorous standards around security and patient confidentially. BT will announce the portfolio of products and services it expects to deliver over the HSCN in the coming months.
Jason Hall, Director of Health at BT said, "this new role has been created to allow our business to continue to adapt to the changing needs of the health and social care sector. That market is undergoing a huge shift as it transitions from the N3 contract to the decentralised HSCN procurement model. Now that we’ve achieved accredited status I look forward to driving our business forward as we look to secure new customer wins on the new network.”
The shift towards the HSCN reflects the NHS’s aim to more closely align health and social care services and move from a centrally funded and managed IT infrastructure, to a devolved model where local health and care providers procure and manage more of their own IT and network services.