NHS Direct joins forces with Pfizer Health Solutions and Humana Europe

NHS Direct has joined forces with Pfizer Health Solutions and Humana Europe in a bid to strengthen its position as the leading provider of telephone-based care management services in England. This is following an OJEU procurement process with the resulting contract running until 2012.

Ronnette Lucraft, Commercial Director, said: “Pfizer Health Solutions and Humana have complementary and world class skills which will enable us to forge a powerful partnership. This will allow us to reach out into the community, helping and encouraging people to follow personalised health plans, learn how to manage their own condition and ultimately enjoy a better, healthier, quality of life. Moving care closer to home and encouraging self care are absolutely central imperatives for the 21st century NHS.”

NHS Direct and Pfizer Health Solutions - together with Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust- have been working in partnership since 2006 delivering Birmingham OwnHealth® - the UK’s first large-scale telephone-based care management programme. This award-winning, innovative collaboration enables people with diabetes, heart failure, COPD and other long-term conditions to receive regular telephone-based coaching from highly experienced care managers.

Since it started, this unique collaboration has led to significant improvements in both individuals' health behaviours and clinical measures. This has resulted in more appropriate use of wider healthcare resources.

John Procter, Head of Pfizer Health Solutions in the UK, said: "Today's announcement takes the NHS Direct and Pfizer Health Solutions partnership to a whole new level. Working together, we can build upon our joint expertise in successfully delivering Birmingham OwnHealth®, to benefit many more people with long term conditions, as well as the wider NHS. The complementary skills and experience of all three organisations create a partnership ready to deliver leading-edge NHS services and care."

Humana Europe was established in the UK to provide commissioning support services for organisations across the NHS. Using expert guidance, tools and innovative solutions, Humana delivers individually-tailored programmes which respond to the needs of patients enabling them to take more control over their health and healthcare.

Welcoming the partnership, Humana Chief Executive Dr Jonathan Lord said: “This is a unique opportunity to bring together the different expertise we have as organisations to configure a service that can meet the different needs of patients across the NHS in a personalised way and can help them achieve happier, longer and healthier lives.”

Humana’s work with the NHS also includes health and wellness programmes, patient and public engagement, data and knowledge management, and contracting and provider performance management. By working to improve the health outcomes of individuals and local populations they aim to support the NHS to improve clinical outcomes, enhance patient experience, and reduce costs.

Over the next few months, the three organisations will be finalising the details of their new proposition with a view to bringing new services to the NHS later in 2008.

For further information please contact Ann Grain in the press office on 0207 599 4223; m: 07876 596 932


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Notes to Editors

NHS Direct is applying to become an NHS Foundation Trust.
To find out more and get involved by becoming a member, visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/foundationtrust

• NHS Direct handles over 22,000 calls a day. That’s over 8 million calls a year.
• The NHS Direct Online website (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) receives around 24 million visits a year.
• NHS Direct Interactive is available to around 18.9 million households with either Sky Digital TV or Freeview, 85% of all TV homes.
• NHS Direct employs over 3,000 staff, over 1,200 of whom are trained nurses.
• Humana Europe was established in the UK to provide commissioning support to PCTs in England. Humana provides expert guidance, tools, and innovative solutions to support PCTs, providers, and stakeholders in delivering services that best meet the health needs of the individual. For more information please visit http://www.humana.co.uk. Humana Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana Inc, a health benefits company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Humana Inc has a 46 year legacy of embracing change in healthcare and is recognised as a pioneer of consumerism in the healthcare industry. For more information please visit http://www.humana.com
• OJEU: According to EU legislation, all contracts from the public sector which are valued above a certain threshold must be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU, formerly the OJEC).
• Pfizer Health Solutions is a division of Pfizer Limited that operates independently of the medicines business. Pfizer Health Solutions believes that self-care increases individuals' abilities to manage their long-term conditions because when individuals are more educated, involved and empowered they interact more effectively with their healthcare providers and embrace lifestyle behaviours that promote healthier outcomes. Pfizer Health Solutions is dedicated to working with the NHS to provide structured and personalised care programme that support people in managing their own health and staying well. Pfizer Health Solutions has been successfully delivering care in the NHS for two years and has commissions to provide Care Management support for over 10,000 individuals from a number of PCTs in the West Midlands. Pfizer Health Solutions has 12 years experience of delivering disease management solutions in the US with partnerships with a range of health insurers, managed care organisations and public providers. For more information, please visit www.pfizerhealthsolutions.co.uk