East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is just six months away from rolling out a revolutionary digital programme, designed to improve patient care and safety.
The planned go-live date is in November when the Trust will officially switch from paper-based records to an electronic patient record (EPR) in a move that will transform the way staff work and provide lasting benefits for patients and their families.
The foundation work of what is a huge 10-year programme has been gradually progressing since July 2021 alongside a major project to upgrade the IT network infrastructure, improving capacity, speed and resilience. Recent months have also seen a steady introduction of a suite of new digital tools and technologies, like the BadgerNet system for parents-to-be and Patientrack for recording patient observations.
The switch on for the main EPR system, which is being developed by healthcare technology specialists Cerner, is planned for November 12, 2022. Once live, it will provide doctors and nurses with more information about patients at their fingertips helping them to make better, more effective decisions.
Operational staff and managers will have the ability to ensure that patients are moved effectively around the system using a new, advanced patient flow technology from Alcidion that links directly to the Cerner EPR.
Dr Helen Turner, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “From a patient perspective, it means doctors will have immediate access to detailed information and will quickly be able to form a more complete picture. The more information they have got, the better decisions they can make and they will be able to give the patient more relevant information about what's happening. It means patients and staff won’t have to constantly repeat difficult conversations.
“The EPR will make hospital stays safer for patients. The system will give prompts to doctors and nurses to make sure that patients get the right care at the right time. One of the big benefits for us in East Lancashire, where we have lots of sites, is that doctors will be able to see what is happening to a patient, no matter what site they are on.”
The EPR will flag up things like allergies and past histories, so it will have a direct impact on patient safety.
Martin Hodgson, Interim CEO at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: “The introduction of the EPR will transform the way care is delivered to all our patients who will have an enhanced experience. It will dramatically improve patient care across East Lancashire.
“Having patient information available electronically, at any location, at any time will bring a host of benefits for staff and patients and the information will be more accurate and up to date. This will lead to improved care outcomes and quality of our services.
“In essence, switching over from a system where bundles of paper notes follow a patient around physically to a digital one will mean the Trust is better able to provide quality care for people. We can have greater confidence in the system.”
To find out more about the EPR visit https://elht.nhs.uk/patients/EPR