IMS MAXIMS has been named as one of 11 open source suppliers in a 'catalogue' designed to support NHS England’s technology fund two, officially called the Integrated Digital Care Fund, which opened for applications last week.
The catalogue is part of a prospectus on the fund, which aims to provide NHS trusts and local authorities with more information on how they can apply for the fund and the types of technology that will be supported. It places a strong focus on open source software, stating that "applications from organisations intending to deploy open source solutions are particularly welcome" to meet the aim of encouraging "the creation of a community of developers, implementers and users supported by a vibrant market of commercial organisations using open source methods."
With applicants working towards a submission by 14 July 2014, the interest in open source solutions is strengthening; a sentiment that was reflected at a recent IMS MAXIMS-hosted event, attended by 17 representatives across eight NHS trusts.
Amongst those presenting was Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust that recently became the first trust to sign a contract with IMS MAXIMS to implement an EPR and standardise clinical pathways with the MAXIMS functionality and the potential to develop open source solutions as part of the deployment.
The support for open source was strengthened with a presentation by NHS England outlining a Commercial and Procurement "Toolkit" to "improve quality and consistency through supporting the effective delivery of projects funded by the Integrated Digital Care Fund". This included basic level commercial and legal support, as well as training.
Shane Tickell, chief executive of IMS MAXIMS explained the next steps in the company's open source journey: "The continued focus on open source in the Tech Fund two prospectus together with on going interest in clinical assurance and maintaining the integrity of the code at recent events demonstrates the demand for open source solutions.
"We have considered for a long time how best to release our code, which has been built over nearly three decades of clinical input. Using a free license model, we will soon be announcing that we have made our code available to trusts through [open source collaboration review and code management platform] GitHub. We are working closely with NHS England in the creation of a community interest company (CIC) to ensure MAXIMS enhancements are safe, secure and validated."
IMS MAXIMS is sponsoring and exhibiting at the HIMSS UK Health Insights spring series; the London event taking place at Chelsea Football Club on Wednesday 11th June, focusing on the NHS technology fund and opportunities for open source.
If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of IMS MAXIMS' open source software, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +44 (0) 203 66 86 999.
About IMS MAXIMS
IMS MAXIMS is an electronic patient record provider working towards better, safer patient care. Specialists in developing clinical and administrative software solutions for healthcare providers, IMS MAXIMS currently supports more than 150 organisations, 11 million patient records in the UK, and 1.9 million patient records in Ireland, approx 50% of the population, as well as 20,000 users of IMS MAXIMS products.
MAXIMS is at the heart of the clinical and administrative life of everything from large UK and Irish hospitals, to small specialist independent clinics. It gives patient data to clinicians in exactly the format they need, and allows it to be shared with colleagues and updated in real-time. MAXIMS suits any clinical specialism and is excellent for order communications and reporting. Medical and administrative records can be kept fully up to date, with the minimum of effort. MAXIMS is web-based so there is no need to install software on computers or invest in expensive extra hardware.