537.5GBp -2.50

EMIS Group's current core market is represented by 53.1% of GP practices and 34.4% of high street pharmacies.

EMIS Group is the UK's leading supplier of healthcare software to GP practices and a major supplier to high street pharmacies. 53.1%* of GP Practices in the UK use EMIS' clinical software to support their care of approximately 39 million* patients. In addition, 34.4%* of high street pharmacies have Rx Systems' software.

Developments in the NHS (England)

The NHS has continued to make progress towards a "connect all" rather than "replace all" IT strategy and EMIS Group is working with the NHS to help deliver the efficiencies and cost savings required by healthcare organisations.

The Government has confirmed the ring-fencing of the public health budget and the increase in real terms of NHS spending whilst emphasising that the sharing of information is the key to achieving better care outcomes and reduced costs.

The Government is also seeking to devolve power for commissioning services to local consortia of GPs and other clinicians (Clinical Commissioning Groups or 'CCGs'). The Directors welcome these moves within the NHS to put responsibility for decision-making and commissioning of services in the hands of CCGs, as the NHS progresses from a centralised approach to IT to a more plural one, allowing improved healthcare through interoperability between different systems.

Egton Medical Information Systems Limited (EMIS)

Within EMIS' core UK GP practice market, the Directors believe there are the following opportunities:

• implementing new systems or supporting recently installed systems in over 500 Scottish GP practices who have chosen to use EMIS systems;
• providing upgrades to existing EMIS GP systems;
• providing new products to existing EMIS GP practices, such as flat screen patient call systems, enabling greater waiting room automation; and
• supplying EMIS systems to GP practices wishing to replace their existing non-EMIS software.

Overlaying the above, is the EMIS Web opportunity, including:

• rolling out EMIS Web across the Group’s existing GP practice user base, scheduled to take place over the next four years;
• supplying EMIS Web to other healthcare practitioners in the extended primary care, community and secondary care sectors; and
• supplying EMIS Web to GP practices not currently using an EMIS system.

The Directors believe EMIS' management of the patient's cradle to grave healthcare record gives it opportunity to extend the reach of its software to other healthcare professions through in-house development or via acquisition.

EMIS is in the process of building the extensive infrastructure necessary to enable and support an accelerated roll-out of EMIS Web and its further development for use in GP practices, extended primary care and community services.

To ensure the entrepreneurial focus needed to address additional commercial opportunities, EMIS has made senior management appointments from within and externally. As part of this process, to drive forward patient knowledge and patient transactional services (e.g. online medical information, web appointment booking and prescription requesting) EMIS appointed a commercial director for patient.co.uk. Also EMIS' business intelligence operation was rebranded as EMIS IQ and a commercial director was appointed. Further, a commercial director was appointed for the Group's technology solutions business, Egton. More recently, a new managing director has been appointed for EMIS as a whole.

Healthcare Gateway Limited

Healthcare Gateway, the 50:50 joint venture EMIS established with INPS in 2010 to further facilitate the sharing of patient data via a medical interoperability gateway fits well with the new "connect all" strategy and has successfully completed phase 1 of pilots in Cumbria and Westminster.

Rx Systems Limited

Rx Systems has grown its market share to 34.4% and the installation, hardware supply, maintenance and support of Rx Systems' contracted maintenance customers has been migrated to Egton, the Group's technology solutions division. Rx Systems has also begun the pilot of electronic point of sale software (EPOS) with selected pharmacy users.

The Board believes that the Group's majority holding in Rx Systems is an important element of EMIS Group's continuing drive to provide 'joined-up' healthcare for NHS patients.

Conclusion

The Board welcomes moves within the NHS in England to put responsibility for decision-making and commissioning of services in the hands of GPs and other clinicians, as the NHS progresses from a centralised approach to IT to a more plural one, allowing delivery of improved healthcare through interoperability between different systems.

The Group's strategy of delivering cross-organisational healthcare systems through EMIS Web, Healthcare Gateway and Rx Systems, remains fully in line with NHS strategy for the future and EMIS Group remains well placed to assist healthcare professionals to securely share patient data in a time efficient and cost effective manner.

* EMIS data estimated based on company records showing customers installed or ordered (by contract or letter of intent) as at 31 December 2011. Rx Systems data is based on company records to 31 December 2011 and latest available data from The National Pharmaceutical Association as at March 2010.

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This page was last updated on 17 May 2012