East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has moved to tranche two of its EPR programme, following the successful completion of tranche one in March, involving migration to the cloud.
The trust advises that the programme has “now entered its highest-risk phase”, with an emphasis on testing and staff training. The migration to cloud itself has required a significant level of testing and assurance, reportedly completed with no operational impact, it continues.
Tranche two includes ePMA, clinical documentation for unplanned and non-elective care, and radiology integration, as well as the migration from the trust’s existing electronic management system scheduled for 12 September, 2026. User training is due to begin shortly, with the trust employing a number of training delivery methods such as classroom sessions and e-learning to support the large number of staff needing to be trained.
Training requirements will vary by role, according to ESHT, with the training team having worked out the number of hours required for each role to help divisions with planning. A fortnightly meeting of stakeholders including operational leaders is to monitor training progress, with the go-live only to be confirmed once a sufficient amount of training has been completed. The board reports positive engagement and strong consultant support to date.
In support of cultural change, the trust explains that efforts to promote a digital first approach have included investments in handheld devices, “with an emphasis on making the system as accessible and easy to use as possible”.
Challenges remain with network infrastructure, training progress, and system integrations, but these are all actively being managed, ESHT shares. A dedicated cutover lead has been appointed, and the trust is liaising with colleagues in the region to learn from their experience.
The board was advised of risks associated with the third tranche, planned for February 2027, which would include PAS, outpatients, and theatres, given its timing during winter months. Planning for this tranche will follow shortly, it notes, with the corporate calendar having been reviewed to cancel non-essential meetings and maximise organisational capacity, and a decision made to utilise weekends to minimise disruption.
Known risks have been identified and addressed where possible, the trust assures, and contingency plans are in place to ensure that the organisation can revert back to existing systems, which will be retained as a data archive. NHSE are due to visit the site in the next month to assess organisational readiness to confirm whether the go-live can proceed as scheduled.
A dedicated benefits realisation team is actively monitoring progress to help ensure anticipated benefits are achieved, ESHT states. It goes on to share hopes that the availability of real-time data will support improvements in population health insights and patient care.
Wider trend: EPR
An EPR tool offering a calculator and clinical decision support for safer medicines management is to launch at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust on 1 September. The Anticholinergic Medication Index (ACMI) tool aims to support prescribers and pharmacists assess patient anticholinergic burden in patients aged 65 and over in inpatient and day case settings. Integrated directly into the EPR, the trust shares that the tool has the capability to automatically update ACMI scores when an anticholinergic medication is prescribed or changed, using a scoring system based on 88 “commonly prescribed” medicines.
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has highlighted a targeted EPR tender publication in September, ahead of business case approval in 2027, as well progress on ambient voice pilots and its patient portal programme. The partnership has held future EPR stakeholder sessions with outcomes to inform its EPR specification, the board indicates, with tender publication expected around September or October 2026. Full tender evaluation is then scheduled for November to December, before hopes for full business case approval in January 2027.
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has published its digital strategy to 2031, highlighting plans for an EPR go-live in 2027, the roll out of ambient voice technology, AI-assisted diagnosis, and automation. Over the last five years, significant upgrades have been made to core network infrastructure, along with investments in cyber security, and the introduction of clinical systems such as EPMA, bed management, and a new patient portal with NHS App connectivity, the trust shares. “However, we are not where we want to be,” it continues. “There are ongoing frustrations: incomplete EPR functionality, technical debt, and a division between community and acute in terms of EPR.”
