South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust has published a prior information notice for an electronic patient care record (ePCR) solution for its ambulance services.
As part of the procurement process, the trust aims to “consider the advantages of open tendering versus the use of different procurement routes”, which includes the use of any relevant public procurement framework or developing an in-house solution. The contract is valued at up to £15 million and is expected to last for a 5-year period, starting from October 2026, with more information available on the tender page.
This investment forms as part of the trust’s wider, five-year strategy and objectives, with a focus on creating a “sustainable and progressive organisation that’s data and digitally driven”. This includes identifying and introducing opportunities that can help to digitally improve their existing services, while also finding ways to “innovate and automate our repeatable processes” in order to better “ensure front line efficiency”.
Investing in EPRs: the wider trend
“Tiger Teams” of multi-skilled private sector experts are now accepting requests for EPR support, following a procurement process from NHS England, which culminated in the award of a contract worth up to £13 million to KPMG LLP. Under the new contract, KPMG LLP is required to create “an experienced, multi-skilled, rapid response intervention service also known as a Tiger Teams service” capable of supporting EPR delivery across England.
Earlier this month, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust completed the roll-out of its Apollo EPR system, supplied by System C. It replaces the trust’s current patient administration systems with an integrated digital record, offering functionality over the ordering of tests and medications, remote viewing of results and an overview of bed use.
The iClipPro EPR also recently went live across St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, integrating multiple systems across the trusts’ sites and covering more than 17,000 colleagues. It aims to minimise duplication and streamline administrative tasks while helping speed up observations, monitoring and prescribing.
For a recent feature, HTN caught up with Matt Moore, director of health and public sector at Rackspace Technology, who shared some key insights into current trends and future directions around EPRs. We discussed approaches to EPR and how Rackspace Technology can assist trusts at varying stages of their EPR journey.
