CSC cuts back on NHS workforce as talks drag on

Guy Hains, president of CSC's healthcare business, said on Wednesday dialogue with the NHS over a new deal on the Lorenzo patient records system is "fundamentally going well," but the deal to rescope the Lorenzo patient record system is complex.

In the meantime, CSC is removing 30 percent of its workforce on the NHS project that was lined up for the yet-to-be-signed agreement. CSC said that it expected to sign a deal with NHS, but negotiations have dragged on. "I would say that the delay reflects the complexity of the change being undertaken and the need for very detailed agreements," said Hains on a conference call.

So far the talks only deal with the Lorenzo system. "I can also confirm that our discussions only relate to the rescoping of Lorenzo and that the ongoing service provision that we provide to 2,000 other systems we've installed continues as before as does the revenue stream we enjoy," said Hains.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see CSC pulls NHS workers, but talks 'going well' on ZDNet.com.