Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are to introduce a shared electronic patient record across the organisations.
The partnership will see Cambridge University Hospitals’ existing Epic system extended to the Royal Papworth, whose current Lorenzo EPR is to be discontinued.
Both trusts will be working together to design shared ways of working to support staff and patients moving between locations, with implementation expected to take just over a year.
Harvey McEnroe, COO and executive senior responsible officer for the EPR programme at Royal Papworth Hospitals, spoke of the partnership as “a huge step forward” for both trusts, adding: “We are grateful to NHS England, our integrated care board and all our partners for their support and collaboration in helping make our ambitions to create a shared electronic patient record a reality. This clinically led decision will transform the way we deliver care, strengthen collaboration between our hospitals, and enhance our research capabilities, benefiting patients and staff for years to come.”
In the last few weeks, Cambridge University Hospitals outlined five priority transformation programmes to progress in 2026/27, covering digitally enabled flow, ambient voice technology, booking optimisation, and pathway redesign. In this update, the trust shared that Epic Care Link is being used to expand shared care across organisations, with access now configured for the CUH-Royal Papworth joint oncology service as part of work toward the integrated EPR across the biomedical campus.
The trust also shares updates on wider digital programmes and priorities, highlighting that the first phase of its Epic integrated patient communications platform is now live, including waitlist validation functionality, video appointment links, and early appointment offers. The pilot will look at impact on patient communication and reduced appointment admin workload prior to making a decision on wider use, it adds.
Digitally enabled pathway pilots are beginning this month as part of the Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) Further Faster specialties, Cambridge University Hospitals shares. Booking optimisation templates are live in 72 specialties, and 50.82 percent of clinics are offering self-scheduling or earlier appointment offers. So far, over 43,000 patients have reportedly self-scheduled, and the remaining specialties are to go live by the end of September.
Wider trend: EPR
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has shared the latest on its new EPR, confirming a contract has been signed with provider Terrafix to replace its current system over the next year. The contract with its current EPR supplier is due to end in 2027, it continues, which reportedly provided an opportunity to review the market to find a modern platform capable of supporting future clinical practice, interoperability, and service improvement. The trust outlines hopes for the new system around reducing duplication and improving data capture, incorporating digital clinical decision support tools, and helping with handovers in making sure all relevant information is on hand for those involved in a patient’s care.
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is set to launch an EPR inequalities flag to help colleagues across the trust identify patients at the greatest risk of experiencing health inequalities. The flag has been introduced following its successful use in maternity, where CHFT reports it has supported more personalised conversations and care planning. Appearing within a patient’s clinical record, the flag is intended to prompt staff to “take a moment” to consider whether they might make any reasonable adjustments, or offer additional support or personalised communication to help meet a patient’s individual needs, according to CHFT.
Barts Health NHS Trust is looking to procure a fertility EPR system with a total estimated value of £350,000. The system to support its fertility clinics will be awarded based on criteria including quality (60 percent weighting), price (30 percent weighting), and social value (ten percent weighting), according to the trust. The contract will run from October 2026 to September 2028 initially, with a possible extension for a further 12 months taking it up to a total of three years.
