NHS England has issued a prior information notice worth £18 million, signalling the beginning of market engagement on an EPR system to capture health data and records across the health and justice area, covering prisons, detention centres, and more.
The procurement will contribute to NHS England’s digital strategy, which seeks to draw on EHR systems to help “remove gaps” with digital integration within prison healthcare.
Aims set out within the notice include offering equitable access to health records, interoperability with primary care electronic systems, timely access to medical interventions and preventative care for every individual in the justice system, and data analysis tools for commissioners to support improved care for patients.
Suppliers are invited to take part in the market engagement process, with an event planned for 16 September in Leeds, offering potential bidders a chance to better understand the requirements for the EPR in a health and justice setting, as well as technical and contractual details around the contracting model and planned procurement process.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 6 September at 12:00 midday. To learn more about this upcoming opportunity, or to register your interest, please click here.
More from NHS England
In cyber security, NHS England shared details of an opportunity worth £4.2 million at the end of June, which sought to contract consultants to support with the delivery of design, consultation, development, iteration and support in piloting the identification of a “critical supplier approach” and an assurance model.
Later in July, NHS England also shared clinical guidance on the automation of test result release and requirements for the functionality of patient portals, outlining that test results should be released by digital means when patients have signed up for the NHS App or a patient engagement portal, that information should be readily available about tests and timeframes, and that health professionals should be able to add comments or notes, retract results, and more.
At the close of July, NHS England also shared a pre-procurement notice for a digital weight management programme, worth an estimated £23 million, with the aim of delivering a behavioural lifestyle intervention over a 12-week period for people living with obesity.
Spotlight on EPR updates across the NHS
At HTN, we regularly report on the latest news and updates when it comes to EPRs, including the award of a 10-year contract extension to TPP from Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, valued at an estimated £6.2 million, and a new 10-year contract between Nervecentre and Northampton General Hospital for the deployment of cloud-based EPR to help “transform the quality of care” and improve access to real-time information.
Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospitals Collaborative also shared plans to implement a shared EPR across Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, James Paget University Hospitals, and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, backed by £88 million in funding from NHS England and Norfolk and Waveney ICB.
And as part of our HTN Now live events series, we hosted a panel discussion at the end of July to talk about connecting care and extending EPR value through mobility and connected devices, with insights from senior NHS leaders and experts around topics such as strategies for widening the benefits of the EPR; how to understand clinical workflows in relation to the EPR; and how to utilise mobile and connected devices for a better user experience.
