Siemens this morning reported a healthy boost to the company’s coffers after signing a €1.75m contract with Eastern Health Shared Services (EHSS) to supply voice communications and applications to a number of health boards over the next three years.
Siemens will provide the various health boards with all medium and large voice communications requirements for the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) and the three health boards under its control. The contract will involve implementations covering the Eastern Regional Health Authority, East Coast Area Health Boards, Northern Area Health Board and the South Western Area Health Board.
A number of large IT contracts have been completed in recent years by the ERHA, which include implementations at James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Naas General Hospital, Dr Steevens Hospital, Cherry Orchard, St Brendan’s and Clonskeagh Hospital.
Christy Costigan, senior buyer at the central procurement department of the EHSS, explained: “Health boards and hospitals in this country and around the world are ultimately striving for state-of-the-art medical care that will improve the quality of patient care and at the same time optimise processes and improve efficiencies. Although we need to move one step at a time, we are delighted to be able to improve communications services for our patients and staff with this new Siemens technology.”
Siemens has leveraged its vast experience in the healthcare field and has provided its HiPath communications system to hospitals across the country. “The HiPath Portfolio has a lot more to offer, with the potential to add applications such as HiPath Dacs for Alert and Alarm Control and HiMed for Patient Communication Services — all operating in a seamless, cost-effective internet protocol (IP) communications environment,” said Siemens senior account manager Eamon Marrinan.
Over the next three years Siemens will supply and install state-of-the-art IP communications and applications in hospitals within the eastern region. These systems will be developed and expanded to improve the quality of patient care and at the same time optimise processes, staff mobility and improve workflow efficiencies. In addition, the management control applications deployed ensure that administration and maintenance of the system is more economical.
By John Kennedy
