UXBRIDGE – The North West Collaborative Procurement Hub (NWCPH) has signed a contract with Xerox for a five-year printing and document management service project. The project is central to NWCPH’s requirement of balancing the needs of patient care with local accountability and marks the second deal of this kind between Xerox and the NHS.
Xerox will manage the entire document-related output of each Trust, providing both economic and environmental sustainability benefits through the reduction of waste and unnecessary print expenses, and the increase in productivity levels. It is estimated that NWCPH will accrue cost savings in the region of 5.5 million.

The service includes the management and provision of Direct and Indirect Print requirements. Direct Print services cover core office functions such as printing, copying, faxing, scanning, storage and retrieval of administrative documents and research papers. Indirect Print activities consist of sourcing litho printing and providing digital print services; Xerox will work in partnership with the Trusts’ litho print suppliers whilst directly managing its digital print-on-demand black and white and colour production. Management and administration will be co-ordinated from a bespoke managed services centre staffed by dedicated Xerox consultants and industry experts.

Xerox will work with each member Trust to meet their individual service needs. John Hopwood, director and general manager of Xerox Global Services UK, said: “The NHS is committed to empowering local Trusts, creating greater efficiencies at a local level. By collaborating with the NWCPH and each Trust, we can understand their specific document requirements. We can help them identify where productivity improvements and cost/ waste reductions can be made and free staff from often very time-consuming back office activities. This will help the Trusts to redirect the time and money saved towards activities primarily associated to patient care.”

Outsourcing document management and printing to Xerox will benefit local Trusts’ ability to balance their ever increasing financial measures and patient care deliverables. Peter Akid, chief executive of NWCPH, said about the agreement: “Taking a holistic view of this activity will meet users’ operational requirements, fulfil their commitment to sustainable development and help reduce costs. But not only will this help us substantially with costs and waste, it will also relieve the previous administration burden. Xerox’s service will free up our staff to concentrate on key front line activities which are patient focused.”

The first phase of service implementation will be completed in the final quarter of 2007.

About Xerox
Xerox markets a comprehensive range of Xerox products, solutions and services, as well as associated supplies and software. Its offerings are focused on three main areas: offices from small to large, production print and graphic arts environments, and services that include consulting, systems design and management, and document outsourcing.

Xerox also has manufacturing and logistics operations in Ireland, the UK and Holland, and a research and development facility (Xerox Research Centre Europe) in Grenoble, France. For more information visit, www.xerox.com

Xerox is a trademark of Xerox Corporation. All non-Xerox brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

About North West Collaborative Procurement Hub
The North West Collaborative Procurement Hub having originally been established as the Greater Manchester collaborative procurement hub (GMCPH) in May 2005, aims to reduce the NHS spends, passing on the benefits to patients through more efficient and improved services. Creating a unified approach to purchasing, focusing on delivering savings alongside real engagement with key NHS staff and clinical networks.

For more information about the hub please visit our website: www.nwcph.nhs.uk

Media Contacts:
Judith Schunke, Xerox UK, tel: +44 (0) 1895 842 877, email: Judith.Schunke@xerox.com

Hannah Williams, Trimedia Harrison Cowley, tel: +44 (0) 207400 5597, email: Hannah.Williams@trimediahc.com

Elizabeth Dolcourt, Trimedia Harrison Cowley, tel: +44 (0) 207 400 5590, email: Elizabeth.Dolcourt@trimediahc.com