London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust has gone live with its electronic patient record system over the weekend.
The launch follows more than three years planning to “improve the quality of patient information” and provide clinicians “the right information to offer the best care as rapidly as possible”. The trust added that it will also “allow hospitals across north west London to share information easily for patients who need care at more than one trust, while also helping GPs and hospitals to share test results far more quickly”.
The go-live was scheduled to start 18 August, initially across emergency departments at 7:00am, with other teams working on paper as data was transferred into the new EPR.
On Twitter, James Bird, joint CNIO at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, shared the go-live:
Go live with Cerner in ED at Ealing hospital. First step towards an amazing digital future pic.twitter.com/D8Z6G4clS7
— James Bird (@james_bird_RN) August 18, 2023
The trust added that electronic prescribing across wards will be staggered over a two-week period, either using the EPR or on paper, and that discharge notes will be a combination of hard copy and electronic during the transition. The trust added that once fully live, all letters and correspondence will change to be consistent with Chelsea and Westminster or Imperial.
Commenting on the programme, Pippa Nightingale, chief executive, said: “Our new record is tried, tested and secure, and it’ll be a vital part of the improvements we’re planning as part of our strategy, our Way Forward. We’re training everyone who will be using the new record, and there will be plenty of additional support while we go live.
“Our teams will be able to work so much more effectively for their patients if they have the right information at the right time.”
For further details, visit the trust’s website here.
