Telefónica Tech creates 20 jobs in major NI healthcare project

Telefónica Tech UK&I has announced the creation of 20 new jobs in Northern Ireland as part of a significant IT managed services contract. The contract supports the encompass health and social care programme, which aims to create a single digital care record for every citizen receiving health and social care in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Trust, the largest of its kind in the UK, commenced the live operation of its new digital patient record system this month, effectively replacing previous paper-based processes. This system follows the implementation in November 2023 by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. The encompass initiative is set to roll out across all Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland over the next two years.

Telefónica Tech, which employs 330 people in Belfast, has created 20 highly skilled and technically accredited locally-based jobs to support the project. The company's role encompasses building and managing the backend IT infrastructure required for hosting and deploying Epic, a market-leading health record management software. Telefónica Tech is also responsible for providing specialist IT hosting and managed services strategic expertise.

Ellen Dickson, Vice President of Enterprise Health Services at Telefónica Tech UK&I, commented on the magnitude and complexity of the project: "encompass is a transformational project from an operational and medical point of view, making Northern Ireland the first part of the UK where patients have a single integrated care record."

"It is a highly complex project and critical to the health and wellbeing of service users in Northern Ireland. It will require the highest levels of service to support the approximately 70,000 staff members who will use the system once it is implemented across all the Trusts. We are very proud to contribute to its implementation in the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, and most recently in the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, the largest Trust of its kind in the UK."

Dr. Dermot Hughes, the Senior Responsible Owner for the encompass programme, also acknowledged Telefónica Tech's role: "Telefónica Tech have contributed significantly to the successful implementation of the Epic Platform in Northern Ireland. Their dedicated Healthcare focused team have brought experience and a collegiate partnership to the encompass programme. They have grown their Belfast-based workforce and have done so by opening opportunities to all."

The encompass programme's goal is to enhance and streamline healthcare delivery by providing a unified digital patient record. This system aims to improve patient care by ensuring that healthcare professionals have immediate access to accurate and comprehensive medical records, potentially leading to more timely and efficient treatments.

With the successful implementation at both South Eastern and Belfast Trusts, the encompass programme is demonstrating its potential to revolutionise healthcare management within the region. The collaboration between the trusts and Telefónica Tech is positioned as a model for integrated digital care solutions across the UK.