US outsourcing giant EDS has been named as the preferred supplier
to deliver an £91m e-mail directory service to all 1.2 million
staff in the National Health Service.
The system, which will be implemented by next March, will give all
NHS workers a personal mailbox and access to online calendars and a
national directory.
EDS claimed the implementation would be one of the largest
corporate directory and e-mail service provisions in the
world.
"This is a critical element in the NHS Information Authority's work
to develop an efficient infrastructure for the NHS," said Carrie
Armitage, the NHS Information Authority's head of access to
information.
The system will be developed further to include instant messaging,
Internet access, and remote access via mobile phones and personal
digital assistants (PDAs).
Services will run across the NHS's network, NHSnet, and the
Internet. Work at four early adopter sites is under way.
News of the NHS deal came as the Inland Revenue admitted its online
self-assessment service, also run by EDS, could not cope with
demand.
It also coincided with the news that EDS shareholders have launched
legal action against the company following a profit warning earlier
this month.