NHS selects IBM to boost electronic staff record system

IBM has been selected by the Department of Health in England to transform and improve the Electronic Staff Record System of the National Health Service in England and Wales. To do so, the firm will provide increased mobile access and new self-service capabilities.

The National Health Service (NHS) Electronic Staff Record system (ESR) is UK’s most important workforce management tool that serves 1.4 million employees. The tool provides payroll, learning and talent management, centralisation of workforce information, and a range of other services covering human resources (HR).

To help transform and enhance the electronic system, the Department of Health in England has chosen IT giant IBM for a 5-year contract. The firm designed and built a Mobile Ready Portal tailored for many different user types as well as new self-service capabilities, enabling NHS employees easier access to new and existing HR services including mobile, expenses and e-learning. In addition, the foundation for future service enhancements will be laid, including increased central business intelligence reporting using dashboards, alerts and collaboration tools.



Commenting on the contract, Simon Humberstone, Head of Healthcare for Europe at IBM Global Business Services, says: “Improving performance and driving greater efficiencies are major priorities for the national health service today. As demands on the NHS continue to grow, it continues to seek improvements that ensure quality and availability of services for patients. By introducing technologies that will further enable the NHS to expand its data analytics capabilities, alongside the latest online collaboration and social learning tools, knowledge will be more easily shared, clinical outcomes improved and performance levels increased.”