London & Tokyo, June 10, 2021 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that Northgate Public Services (NPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC, has acquired Vantage Health, which provides `Rego', an advanced digital solution to help healthcare providers reduce patient waiting times and cope with increased demand.

Rego reviews all referrals against local criteria and pathways and ensures patients are directed to the right care, the first time. Widely implemented across the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) to support thousands of general practitioners, dentists and opticians, Rego is proven to support effective outpatient transformation in line with the NHS' Long Term Plan and helping the organization as it looks towards recovery from the pandemic.

Tina Whitley, CEO of NPS, says: “Following the pandemic, healthcare is facing a huge challenge to keep up with the surge in demand for outpatient treatment. Effective solutions are needed to be able to manage resources, save money and secure the best outcomes for patients.

“Combining Vantage Health's ability to transform outpatient care with our expertise of managing successful health screening programmes like hearing and diabetic eye screening, means we can give healthcare providers the tools they need to quickly identify patients who need specialist services and then help them direct the patient to the right support service instantly."

David Ezra, co-founder of Vantage Health, says: “It's never been more important for the NHS and healthcare services to have efficient solutions that work. Joining forces with NPS is exciting. It brings together a shared vision for transforming the way healthcare is delivered to offer the best care for patients."

NPS already has a significant presence in this sector, following its acquisition of three EMIS Group plc businesses in 2019. This latest move further strengthens its growing preventative health offering.

NPS has helped to screen 10 million babies for the Newborn Hearing Screening Program in England and Northern Ireland, tested 500,000 patients with diabetes for retina damage and supports a number of medical registries such as the National Joint Registry (NJR), the largest orthopaedics registry in the world, and the international spinal registry platform, Spine Tango to help clinicians, regulators and industry deliver evidence-based treatments for patients.

Northgate Public Services (NPS) will become NEC Software Solutions UK from July 2021. The new name brings NPS under the global NEC brand, strengthening the company's position as a market leader in the development of cutting-edge software and services for the local government, police, health and housing sectors.

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Notes to the editor:

About Northgate Public Services
Northgate Public Services (NPS) has a proven history of developing game changing software for the public sector. Our ability to put vital information into the hands of those that need it is the reason why 95% of local authorities use us to collect revenues and administer benefits. It’s why 16 different police forces, comprising more than 60% of the UK’s police officers, have chosen NPS’ CONNECT software to improve decision making at the frontline, why over 150 housing providers use NPS systems to manage their two million homes efficiently and why the NHS choose our technology to help them screen eight million babies for hearing loss. Based in the UK but working around the world, NPS’ 2,300 employees help improve the services that matter most. NPS is part of the NEC Corporation (“NEC”, TSE: 6701), a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people worldwide. For more information, visit
https://www.northgateps.com

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.