International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) has signed a five-year contract with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust for the delivery of a regional digital pathology solution to the Northern Cancer Alliance. The solution will span the ten separate trusts of the consortium and aims to improve cancer care workflows through enabling pathologists to instantly access and share images and information between departments and locations.

xt invest AG becomes the new majority shareholder of InterComponentWare AG (ICW). This investment and the resulting close cooperation of the firms x-tention, soffico, and ICW will create the strongest eHealth provider in the Germany/Austria/Switzerland markets. The companies already have numerous clients in common, with proven success e.g. by recently winning contracts for AOK's Digital Health Network.

The Master of Science (M.Sc.)in Medical Informatics (MMI) at European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen - a branch of the Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences (THD - Technische Hochschule Deggendorf) in Bavaria, Germany - is accepting applications for entry in October 2019.

A leading mental health service is using the digital mental health platform developed by SilverCloud Health to support a confidential NHS service for GPs in England. London-based Efficacy is offering doctors using the GP Health Service access to the SilverCloud platform, on which there are more than 30 programmes, to improve mental health and related conditions.

The Doctrina Academy is a new service, developed by Doctrina, a video e-learning platform that reaches over 1,000,000 healthcare professionals (HCPs) from around the globe, helping them to switch from volume-based to value-based continuing education. The company was founded in 2013 and has since made it easier for HCPs to decide on the right treatment and medicine for the right patient at the right time.

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) a leading global health technology company, has announced it signed a 10-year strategic partnership agreement with Rutherford Diagnostics. This collaboration will utilize Philips innovative radiology technology and Rutherford Diagnostics' healthcare expertise to deliver and operate advanced personalized diagnostic services through a network of community diagnostic centers, driving the best possible healthcare outcomes for patients.

Opinion Article by Dr Simon Hendricks, Product Innovation Manager and Clinical Strategy Lead, FDB (First Databank)
Political will for better and safer prescribing in the NHS has fast gained momentum in the last few months. With prescribing featuring prominently in the NHS Long Term Plan published in January 2019, a subsequent plan and vision from the government into antimicrobial resistance, as well as a dedicated review into over-prescribing being ordered by health and social care secretary Matt Hancock just before Christmas, now is a time for action.