Health and social care workers in Lancashire are to use a new high-speed network, which will enable them to collaborate more effectively and work more easily while they are on the move. The network and a bespoke service desk will provide a single point of contact for staff from eight healthcare trusts in the county.

In a procurement partnership the trusts chose Virgin Media Business to deliver the 9 million pound project. It will connect approximately 170 healthcare sites across the county. It will include 11 hospitals, 85 health centres, clinics and surgeries, 33 mental health and social care departments and three prisons.

Declan Hadley, Associate Director of IM and T at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our new shared infrastructure service will enable Lancashire’s health services to collaborate in new technology projects to ensure we have information available to the clinician at the point of care, as part of our Care Closer to Home agenda.”

He said that by working together the county’s healthcare community had addressed the issue of affordability to provide the most innovative and agile technology solutions available to make significant improvements to patient services. The project will include the delivery of wireless, Local Area Network, voice, Remote Access and mobile services.

David Astley, the head of health and emergency services at Virgin Media Business, said: “As more local authorities, health and social care agencies gear up to deliver a personalised service for citizens in line with the Government’s personalisation agenda, organisations are likely to regard Lancashire’s collaborative partnership as an ideal example of how to achieve a total solution to meet current and future needs.”