Keywords: NHSScotland, NHS, finance shared services, shared services, Advanced Business Solutions, public sector, financial systems

NHSScotland implements financial shared services

Sarah Feurey | News | 1 August 2012

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NHSScotland has announced that phase one of its financial systems shared services project has been a success, going live on time and on budget.

Advanced Business Solutions won the contract for the financial shared services system and a single, multi-company financial management system has been implemented. The system also integrates document management and SAP’s BusinessObjects business intelligence.

Seven health boards - NHS Tayside, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Highland, NHS Fife, NHS Borders, NHS Western Isles and Scottish Ambulance Service – went live on 1 April 2012 and are now using a common chart of accounts and operating national standard business processes to deliver a shared services model in accordance with the Scottish Government’s efficiency agenda.

The next stage of the project will add another seven health boards to the system, with a planned go-live date of 1 October 2012. The final phase will bring on the last eight health boards by 1 April 2013, meaning all 22 NHS bodies will be using the single shared financial management system from this date.

NHSScotland expects a range of benefits from the full roll-out of the single system including automated, streamlined processes and reduced costs from having to pay for the maintenance and support of just one finance system.

John Francis, Programme Director from the Shared Support Services Programme said, “The shared use of Advanced’s finance system is enabling the roll-out of standard nationally-approved financial processes. With everyone operating on the same system and within the same framework, this should provide the foundation for significant cost and efficiency savings.”