Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has announced the development of its electronic patient record (EPR) programme, with Oracle Health, set to eventually replace “many of their current digital and paper-based systems” with a single platform for patient information.
The trust is currently at the design, development and testing phase of the EPR system, with ongoing collaboration with clinical teams planned over the next 18 months, ahead of an expected launch in Spring 2025.
The EPR solution is expected to enable clinicians to spend more time on clinical practice and patient care, providing an “improved experience across our health and care system” Dr Allister Grant, chief medical officer said.
He added: “There are massive safety benefits to get from EPRs. For clinicians, information will be more accurate, it will help coordinate patient flow and support effective scheduling in areas like operating theatres and outpatients, it will also hold information from other systems, reducing duplication.”
Kelvyn Hipperson, chief information officer, expressed that the EPR is just one aspect of the trust’s “digital transformation plan which has patient care at its core” – adding that patients will no longer need to repeat their healthcare story, as the EPR will ensure “their record will follow their healthcare journey even if they move between out services and departments.”
The trust’s EPR launch forms part of NHS England’s £1.9 billion investment across NHS trusts which aims to digitise frontline healthcare, ensuring staff have access to the relevant health information they need to deliver safe, efficient and effective patient care, the announcement added.
In related EPR news, Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative has announced the procurement of its electronic patient record supplier across three acute trusts.
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust recently went live with its electronic patient record system following 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”.
