An IT company for the health and social care sectors has bought a business which provides mobile clinical systems to more than 50 hospitals.

System C, based in Maidstone, has acquired the Learning Clinic as it aims to reduce the length of stay for patients and free up beds.

The takeover adds a range of products which gives health workers the power to capture, assess and act on clinical data in real time.

The Learning Clinic, which was launched in 2005, has also developed advanced bed management and whiteboard software, designed to transform the flow of patients through a hospital, significantly reducing length of stay.

The firm has recorded more than 100 million patient observations since it was began trading.

Chief executive Kal Vaikla will step down as the London-based outfit becomes a subsidiary of System C, sitting alongside the company’s social care subsidiary Liquidlogic.

The combined businesses will employ about 500 people.

“The NHS is under enormous pressure to make changes in care provision which improve quality and increase efficiency... this will allow us to accelerate our support in both areas...." - Ian Denley, System C

System C, which has six offices across the UK, will put its joint-chief executives Ian Denley and Markus Bolton on the Learning Clinic board as joint bosses.

Roger Killen, who co-founded the Learning Clinic, will be re-joining the senior executive team in a product design and strategic role.

System C joint-chief executive Ian Denley said: “The NHS is under enormous pressure to make changes in care provision which improve quality and increase efficiency.

“The combined System C and The Learning Clinic product sets allow us to accelerate our support in both areas.

“The Learning Clinic is a clear market and thought leader in clinical solutions, its products are held in high regard by users, and we are delighted they have joined the System C group.

“We are looking forward to working with The Learning Clinic operational team to take the company forward.”

The Learning Clinic chairman Stephen Murphy said: “Combining with System C is a key step in The Learning Clinic’s development.

“System C is a great cultural fit for us and has the ambition, scale and range of products we need to drive mobile clinical support forward to the place that clinicians need.

“The board believes that the combination of the two businesses provides the best strategic future for the company, its customers and its employees.”