Belfast tech firm creates 50 jobs on back of NHS contracts


29 Jan 2009

Belfast-based technology firm ICS Computing is to create 50 jobs after winning a number of NHS contracts in the UK.

ICS has won contracts to provide payroll and pension services to two major NHS trusts.

The company will provide payroll services to both the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and substance misuse services to 1.2 million people in the north west of England, and the North West Ambulance NHS Trust, the largest ambulance service in Europe.

The ICS payroll service solution will help both trusts achieve major cost-savings year-on-year, thanks to greater process efficiencies through reduced paperwork and resources.

The contracts build on ICS’s previous experience in the UK health service, which includes the provision of payroll-processing services to the London-based Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – the largest trust in the UK, incorporating St Mary’s NHS Trust, the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and another five London hospitals.

The three NHS contracts have a combined value of £2.5m sterling, and will see ICS providing payroll services to around 17,000 employees across the trusts.

The ICS payroll service solution uses the trusts’ Electronic Staff Record (ESR) software, a system that has been phased in over the past five years and is now used by all NHS Trusts across England and Wales.

The ESR system may be adopted across Northern Ireland in the future, which would provide a further opportunity for ICS to grow its HR & Payroll division.  The company is currently shortlisted to provide payroll services to a further six NHS bodies across the UK.

“These new contract wins are a direct result of our previous experience in this sector, which has involved the provision of integrated, accurate and consistent payroll services to the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London,” said David Mawhinney, managing director of ICS Computing.

“We are able to offer an extremely competitive service to our customers, and in addition provide innovative software that integrates seamlessly with the ESR system.

“Our success is due to our understanding of ESR, potential client issues and our partnership approach, which means we work with clients to evolve and develop the solution over time – rather than a quick-fix, short-term option.”

The payroll service solutions are due to go live in April 2009 and are being implemented onsite by team of Six Sigma-accredited consultants fully trained in process improvement methodology to implement and manage the solution for the respective trusts.

“This is an exciting time for ICS and an excellent start to 2009,” Mawhinney said. “We have achieved substantial growth in our HR and Payroll sector, and we are confident that demand for our products and services will continue to grow in the year ahead.”

The service will be managed from ICS Computing’s Belfast-based headquarters, where it employs a team of over 100 payroll professionals and admin support staff. 

ICS has been providing payroll solutions for over 40 years, and is the largest privately owned payroll provider Northern Ireland and the UK. The company employs over 250 people in total at its Belfast office – across its HR & Payroll, Accounting and Distribution and Public Sector Software divisions.

By John Kennedy