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Cardiff and Vale UHB plans procurement for single EPR for mental health and community services

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is planning the re-procurement of an EPR for the health board’s mental health and community services, highlighting mobile access and interoperability as key capabilities.

Cardiff and Vale UHB currently use the Civica (formerly PARIS) EPR for 190 clinical services across mental health, community and therapy, which reportedly helps with “sustaining operational processes and clinical information across about 40% of the CAV Health Board”. With their current EPR contract coming to an end on 31st March 2028, Cardiff and Vale UHB are now looking for funding for the re-procurement of an EPR that aligns with their “business needs”.

Cardiff’s Mental Health and Community Information System Programme is in the process of developing the requirements before they go to market for this re-procurement, after which they aim to secure the necessary funding. An estimated value for the contract is set at a maximum of £38 million with a 6.5 year duration between 2025 and 2032. Interested suppliers are encouraged to apply by the engagement deadline of 30 August 2025.

This comes shortly after another opportunity presented by NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership in which they opened a market engagement for a digital platform that can support self-management and remote monitoring.

Investing in health technologies across Wales 

Digital Health and Care Wales recently opened an opportunity for a cloud-based electronic referral solution for eye care, with a total value of £197,000. The procurement follows evidence given to the Health and Social Care Committee in June about the importance of the digital eye care programme electronic referral service, with the cabinet secretary for health and social care stating that the programme would be implemented “on an urgent basis” in 2026.

In June, the Welsh Government published a prior information notice for a supplier who can deliver on the Digital Inclusion Wales contract, in an effort to reduce barriers around access to digital devices and online services. The contract will reportedly focus on delivering a national bilingual programme of activity, supporting digital inclusion across the region. It’s expected to last for three years with an initial budget of £3.5 million.

Health secretary, Jeremy Miles recently announced a £120 million package to fund the reduction of long wait times and the size of waiting lists throughout NHS Wales by 200,000, sharing that “tackling waiting times is our number one priority”. As part of the new plan, changes are expected across all health boards within Wales, with the aim to offer services that will support an “increase in productivity and efficiency and reduce variation”.