NHS trusts in Camden and Islington have installed a shared network to connect 14 sites across north London so employees can access NHS applications remotely.

The IP virtual private network (VPN) has been deployed by Camden & Islington ICT Shared Services, the in-house IT provider to Camden Primary Care Trust (PCT), Islington PCT and Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust.

The network provides connectivity to sites including GP practices, healthcare clinics and community hospitals. The IP VPN from supplier ntl:Telewest Business will allow more than 2,000 employees to access all national and local NHS applications from remote and home offices.

The network, connecting all the remote small office and home office sites, will enable nurses, therapists and consultants to benefit from flexible working and ensure seamless access to headquarters’ resources in a secure environment.

‘The IP VPN will further aid our efforts to excel in the NHS Connecting for Health programme,’ said Steve Guise, senior technical project manager, Camden & Islington ICT Shared Services.

‘It will significantly improve the speed of access and levels of connectivity for staff who would normally only have dial-up connection to the Trust’s resources,’ he said.