Contract Win

BT Group PLC
08 December 2003

-December 8, 2003

BT wins multi-million pound NHS contract for London

BT today welcomed the fact that that it has been awarded a ten-year contract,
worth £996 million over the next ten years, by the Department of Health as part
of the NHS National Programme for IT. As Local Service Provider for London, BT
will design, deliver and operate integrated local patient record applications
and systems for the whole London care community.

Sir Christopher Bland, BT's Chairman, said: "We are delighted to have been
chosen by the NHS to deliver a key part of the National Programme for IT, one of
the biggest and most ambitious healthcare IT projects in the world. Our
technology and expertise will help to provide real benefits to NHS patients and
staff. It will improve the working lives of nurses and doctors, offering easy
and secure access to patient records. We look forward to working with the NHS to
make this programme a powerful force for improving patient care."

Ben Verwaayen, BT's Chief Executive Officer, said "These wins are BT's biggest
ever, and evidence of the new face of BT truly emerging. This is BT taking on
world class competition on its own territory and winning".

When fully implemented the NHS Care Records Service will enable NHS
organisations to record and exchange patient and care information
electronically, eliminating duplication of patient files and improving
information-sharing between healthcare professionals.

BT is the prime contractor and will deliver and operate the service through
Syntegra - its systems integration subsidiary. It will work with a number of
companies with world-class experience in the development, deployment and
operation of healthcare IT systems.

Tim Smart, chief executive of Syntegra, commented: "We share the government's
vision of the NHS as a world-class patient care provider and our people and the
expert partners we have chosen to work with are committed to making that vision
a reality."

BT is a leading provider of integrated business systems and the largest supplier
of ICT services to the NHS:

NHSnet, Europe's largest private secure network, and the NHS Messaging Service,
which delivers more than one million emails, prescriptions and clinical records
each day, have together enabled NHS people to exchange and access information
quickly - a vital contribution to effective healthcare.

The NHS Numbers For Babies service ensures that within minutes of a baby's birth
midwives can obtain their all-important NHS number. This unique identifier forms
the basis of a lifelong electronic care record, eliminates incomplete or muddled
sets of information and helps ensure prompt and appropriate care for infants
right from birth.

BT technology underpins NHS Direct, which has provided help and advice on health
matters to more than five million citizens.

NHS24 is another example of national programmes delivered and managed by BT for
the benefit of NHS people and patients.

In London BT is currently delivering services to Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital,
Camden Primary Care Trust, Islington Primary Care Trust and University College
Hospital. BT is also providing data networks for Inner West London and East
London and a local area network at Central Middlesex Hospital.

The NHS Care Records Service will work with the national applications being
developed as part of the National Programme for IT. These include a nationally
accessible patient record database, the electronic transfer of prescriptions and
the introduction of electronic appointment booking in the summer of 2004.

Richard Granger, Director General of NHS IT says "I am delighted that we are now
working with BT in implementing such an important element of the National
Programme for IT, which will provide every patient an individual NHS Care
Record.

"BT's commitment to this project has been clearly demonstrated throughout the
procurement process and I look forward to working with them to deliver a
world-class solution to patients and healthcare professionals alike."



Notes to Editors:

For the provision of IT systems and services by LSPs, England has been grouped
into five geographic regions. The London region houses many leading teaching
hospitals and a diverse population with widely varying incomes.

About BT

BT Group plc is the listed holding company for an integrated group of businesses
providing voice, data and video services in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
British Telecommunications plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group, holds
virtually all businesses and assets of the BT group.

BT is one of Europe's leading providers of telecommunications services. Its
principal activities include local, national and international
telecommunications services, higher-value broadband and internet products and
services, and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves over 20 million business and
residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines, as well as
providing network services to other licensed operators.

BT consists principally of three lines of business:

  • BT Retail, serving businesses and residential customers and including BT
    Openworld, one of the UK's leading ISPs.
  • BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK,
    including ADSL, conveyance, transit, bulk delivery of private circuits,
    frame relay and ISDN connections.
  • BT Global Services, BT's managed services and solutions provider, serving
    multi-site organisations worldwide. Its core target market is the top 10,000
    global multi-site organisations with European operations.

There are a number of other businesses within the BT group, including BT Exact,
an internationally renowned centre of excellence in IT and networking
technologies. It is also BT's technology and research and development business.

In the year ended 31 March 2003, BT's turnover was £18,727 million with profit
before taxation of £1,829 million.

For more information, visit www.bt.com



About Syntegra

Syntegra is part of BT Group. It plays a key role in BT's ICT strategy as its
expert in systems integration.

Syntegra employs more than 5000 business and technical professionals worldwide.
In the financial year ending 30 March 2003 Syntegra reported revenues of £623
million.

Syntegra helps organisations transform the way that they operate by applying
business knowledge and technology to make possible new and better ways of
working.

Its primary activity is the provision of consultancy and systems integration
services including change management, complex programme management and custom
systems design, development and operation.


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