Consultancy Centralis has secured a £650,000 contract to supply the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) with a thin-client offering.

Centralis was tasked with designing and building a proof of concept based on Citrix’s XenApp and Appsense for KMPT, which specialises in mental health services and employs 4,000 staff using a 3,000-strong computer network across 100 sites.

The first stage will see 250 mobile workers and 750 users at locations with smaller network connections going live in early 2010, with the potential to scale up across the board later in the year. The project is expected to save KMPT in the region of £250,000 a year.

Ewen Anderson, managing director of Centralis, said: “This innovative approach means patients no longer have to worry that their data is being held on a laptop that could be stolen or lost.

“This is a great example of a forward-thinking customer, using proven IT to benefit both users and patients, while also making operational savings – all of which is now feasible with the centralised desktop platform.”

Les Manley, director of information and IT for KMPT, said: “The objectives of this project were not driven by cost savings although significant cost savings will be realised and future costs will be avoided. The project is driven by a broad range of benefits that come from more capable and more flexible IT systems.

“Mental health services have changed beyond recognition over recent years and our technology has been in full flight to keep pace with service developments,” he added. “Desktop virtualisation is the next step in a series of exciting developments and will give our health and social care professionals the flexibility they need to deliver high quality services in a continuously changing and challenging environment.”