Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust (WAST) has shared that the refresh of its electronic patient care record (ePCR) application has been formally approved following “extensive collaboration” with users and stakeholders.
The ePCR’s user interface is undergoing enhancement to make it more intuitive, with input from senior clinicians, digital services, and the trust’s CCIO. “The project has now progressed from the design phase to development,” the board shares. “A joint meeting between WAST and TERRAFIX is scheduled for this month, at which a progress update and demonstration will be provided to WAST.”
The board notes a new feature has also been introduced for autistic, learning disability and neurodiverse patients across Wales, in response to feedback on the importance of staff understanding individual needs when on scene. There is now a “Needs” tab, which prompts responders and clinicians to ask if a patient has a learning disability, is autistic, or is neurodiverse. Input from this question then reconfigures pages within the ePCR to offer prompts on accommodations and adjustments when taking observations and additional prompts and tools are also provided for assessing pain. A learning disabilities dashboard went live in October 2024, and between 1 October 2024 and 31 March 2025, there have reportedly been 1,696 ePCR records where an additional need has been recorded.
The trust board moved on to highlight digital priorities for 2025/26, including a focus on automation, a Windows 11 upgrade, an AI/innovation lab, emergency services network upgrades, smart stations, and national data resource collaboration. An AI policy and ethics panel is in development, an innovation lab has been launched, and the trust now has a mobile digital support hub for direct engagement with crews. A digital transformation self-assessment is currently underway, with findings to inform the Audit Wales digital deep dive.
Phase 2 of the Microsoft Copilot pilot is in progress, with 150 licences distributed to date. 70 evaluation forms have been received from phase 1, informing the development of an ongoing education package to help support workforce needs, according to the trust. Following the recruitment of business analysts, a deep dive will be conducted in Autumn to progress the development of “meaningful and safe use-cases”, along with AI policy, and automation scale-up opportunities. “This work will bring efficiencies to WAST and free up time for higher value work,” the trust adds.
Wider trend: digital transformation in Wales
Health Education and Improvement Wales has launched a free foundational course in AI for healthcare professionals, with plans to introduce a chatbot interface to the online course. Following an AI education and skills landscape review earlier this year, the findings highlighted a gap in AI education, said to be insufficient to meet the needs of the healthcare system. The review noted the need for AI education, particularly understanding ethical, safe and effective use of AI, and that professionals are keen to learn about AI but lack structured programmes.
Digital Health and Care Wales are conducting a market discovery exercise to explore the ambient voice technology solutions currently available and capable of meeting the needs of general practice and primary care throughout the region. The general medical services team within DHCW have outlined one key objective, aiming to gather market intelligence that will better inform their approach and “empower GP practices to use ambient scribe tools to drive general practice efficiencies and enhance patient care”.
The Welsh Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing has shared an update on the NHS Wales App, its use and plans for upcoming features, including test results, patient-reported outcomes, and an “about me” section for patients to share information they would like health professionals to know about them. Since the beta launch in April 2023, the App has been downloaded by more than half a million people; equivalent to one in five adults in Wales, and with more than nine million log-ins. Current functionality covers repeat prescriptions, booking for “some” primary care appointments, viewable health records, secure messaging, organ donation choices, and accessibility to NHS services such as 111 and screening.
