6th May 1997 – Tony Blair moved into Number 10 Downing Street, abolished GP Fundholding, and started to create an intermediate level of NHS organisation for commissioning healthcare. This was subsequently known as Primary Care Groups, which formed 400 new administrative centres built around the evolving locality purchasing model. Yet, these all needed computer systems and the ability to communicate electronically.
On the same day, in the backdrop of rural Devon, feeding off the successful pilot of MS Exchange across a local NHS community, Derrick and Anne Foan, Kevin Eales, Mark Treleaven, Ceri Eames and Paul White, moved into offices in Cullompton. BDS Solutions was founded to implement and support NHS focused networking and communications solutions, as well as providing consultancy as a Microsoft Solutions Provider.
Like Mr Blair, Derrick was born in 1953, but there the analogy ends. Tony left Downing Street in 2007, whilst BDS Solutions is now celebrating 25 years serving the NHS. Once again, the NHS is on the cusp of another reorganisation, moving Integrated Care Systems onto a statutory footing with the creation of Integrated Care Boards. BDS Solutions continues to support NHS organisations nationwide with a range of consultancy, integration services and solution, as a long-established technology partner.