BELFAST IT firm Kainos has been awarded a £7 million contract by the NHS to support the digital infrastructure underpinning its Covid-19 testing service amid growing demand for tests.
The digital transformation specialist, which employs around 1,700 people, has secured the two-year deal with Leeds-based NHS Digital.
It’s understood most of the work will be undertaken in the initial three months of the contract.
Kainos was awarded a £13m contract by NHS Digital in December last year to develop an NHS app. It secured a £3.6m award in April for the GP IT Futures programme.
NHS Digital said it had worked with a number of companies in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic to set up the digital infrastructure for the UK Government test and trace programme.
The latest tender was launched after NHS Digital was tasked with leading the integration of the digital service in June.
It said that the digital elements of the testing service, particularly the home testing side, needs further development to respond to the demands for tests.
Ben Davison, executive director of product development at NHS Digital, said: “Much has been achieved in an extremely short period in establishing a digital infrastructure for testing.
“As testing capacity increases, including home testing, the IT underpinning the service needs to remain reliable and user-centred in its design and delivery.
“We look forward to working with Kainos on this crucial programme of work."
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