Siemens Enterprise Communications Group (SEN Group), a premier provider of enterprise communications solutions, announced today that NHS Kensington and Chelsea has selected SEN Group's flagship OpenScape Voice platform and secure Enterasys Data LAN networking equipment under a single service agreement. When the implementation is complete, the technology will provide communications to eight locations for NHS Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust (PCT) and its partners, with scope to encompass others in due course. As a commissioning trust that will drive the delivery of local NHS services, NHS Kensington and Chelsea will now be able to provide modern, fully scalable VoIP networks for its own and partner locations. These include hospitals such as the St Charles Community Hospital as well as GP surgeries and dentists, which together help meet the health care needs of 170,000 local residents.

The trust is operating the programme as a service agreement with SEN Group which will ensure that premier quality service level agreements will be achieved, with services backed by on-demand technical support from SEN Group personnel. The programme goes live in the early part of 2010 and also includes one year roll-over maintenance options for the PCT and its partners as they require.

By building an integrated voice and data network, NHS Kensington and Chelsea will achieve significant operational efficiencies, including free calls across the LAN, reduced rental costs for partners previously on high specification rental lines, and integration with the main NHS N3 broadband infrastructure. The new Openscape Voice and Enterasys platform ensures data integrity and greater service resilience and is scalable to current and future communications needs of the trust and other public bodies should they decide to operate shared services or additional health care delivery models.

NHS Kensington and Chelsea and its partner organisations will also benefit from increased functionality and security for both front line and back office staff. The OpenScape Voice and Enterasys network platform promotes joined-up working across multiple voice and data communications as well as more flexible working environments for hospitals, clinics or field work. All staff network-related activity, such as PC sessions or use of hand held devices, is monitored by the system's DAKS technologies which helps promote staff safety, particularly for personnel working on community outreach programmes or in specialised locations.

Andy Clark, Head of Public Sector, SEN Group, commented, "Primary Care Trusts face the challenge of providing joined-up patient services using often complex multi-partner delivery models with greatly varying communications capabilities site by site, while delivering efficiency savings. NHS Kensington and Chelsea is taking a dynamic but pragmatic approach with a scalable and secure voice platform that partners can integrate with. We're very pleased to be supporting their strategy of building a market-leading voice and data network delivered through this service agreement."

Ken Pearson, Telecommunications Manager at NHS Kensington and Chelsea, said: "As a commissioning trust we were tasked with modernising old sites and providing VoIP capabilities to a range of partners, each of which have very different ICT infrastructures and staff resources for communications maintenance. It is essential that we deliver a flexible and secure converged communications network as health care models, workforce collaboration or budgetary priorities change. We were impressed with SEN Group's service capabilities in the initial tendering and they have proved their expertise and technical support during the implementation."

Further Information

Chameleon PR
Brad Jordan
Consultant
Tel: +44 (0)207 680 5500
Email: brad.jordan@chameleonpr.com