Electronic patient records (EPRs) remain a crucial component of the latest 2024/25 priorities and operational planning guidance from NHS England[1], with systems being asked to continue supporting the levelling up of providers’ digital maturity across all sectors.

The Spring Budget included an extra £3.4B investment in NHS digitisation to support this transformative focus and achieving the goal of all hospitals adopting electronic patient records.

I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on how we’re working with our clients in the UK and how we are reshaping the healthcare landscape through our emphasis on cost-effectiveness, flexibility and client satisfaction, enabling our NHS client organisations to advance their digital maturity.

Cost-effectiveness

While some market-leading EPRs come with hefty price tags, finding innovative ways to use local budgets or secure funding becomes imperative for many organisations. For example, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which was categorised as “Group 0” under the frontline digitisation programme, embarked on its digital transformation journey through the implementation of Altera Digital Health’s Sunrise™ in March 2023.

Now, live across all 56 inpatient wards, the ambitious project saw the trust quickly accelerate its digital maturity, developing a highly configured system that is bespoke to the trust’s needs—without needing national funding.

The tangible impact is evident, with Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust saving more than £1M in printing costs alone.

[W]e are reshaping the healthcare landscape through our emphasis on cost-effectiveness, flexibility and client satisfaction, enabling our NHS client organisations to advance their digital maturity.

Accelerating digital maturity

Altera’s relentless pursuit of digital excellence has propelled NHS trusts towards significant milestones in digital maturity. The validation of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust against HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 exemplifies this journey towards international industry standards. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital has witnessed a remarkable 55% reduction in medication administration errors since introducing closed-loop scanning methods, underscoring the importance of Altera’s solutions.

Carol Moss, EPR Manager at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, praises the user-friendly nature of Altera’s system, “Sunrise is so easy to use, and we’ve spent a decade configuring the system to our needs.”

Flexibility

The flexibility within Sunrise EPR enabled Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) to take a phased approach to deployment, paving the way for a smoother transition. MTW is now one of the top-performing acute hospital trusts in the country and is regularly in the top five for A&E performance in England. It’s also one of the few trusts in the country to not have long-waiting patients (those waiting 52 weeks for planned care), and it has delivered the 62-day cancer standard each month for more than three years.

Fast and effective deployment

Altera Digital Health excels in rapid deployment and use of our Altera blueprint, enabling NHS trusts to harness the benefits of their solutions within months rather than years. This is evident at trusts like Medway NHS Foundation Trust, who took a clinically driven approach to digital maturity and achieved one of the fastest EPR deployments on record.

The seamless implementation process ensures minimal disruption to clinical workflows, empowering healthcare professionals to focus on what matters most – patient care. Dr Dilip Pillai, EPR Clinical Lead at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, attests to the smooth transition, “The rollout went incredibly smoothly, people really hit the ground running.”

Client satisfaction

At the heart of Altera’s ethos lies a steadfast commitment to customer satisfaction, reflected in high approval ratings from healthcare professionals.

Maddie Szekely, Deputy Director of Digital at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, emphasises Altera’s pivotal role: “They’re very much a key partner in developing ideas, understanding our pressures and working closely with us to deliver solutions that fulfil our clinical priorities and support our patients in the best way.”

Independent surveys consistently highlight the user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive functionality of Altera’s solutions. Ravi Kaur Sahota-Thandi, Digital Portfolio Director at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, highlights the impact on patient care: “Our midwives say it’s given them the freedom to take the time to care for their patients.”

Shared learning, innovation and transformation

Altera fosters a culture of shared learning and innovation, empowering NHS trusts to leverage best practices and drive continuous improvement. Through events like the Solutions Forum and Client Executive Summit, Altera facilitates knowledge-sharing sessions to support clients in navigating digital transformations effectively.

The impact of EPRs on Altera clients in the UK has been transformational and we’re excited to work with more trusts as we build a patient-centric and future-proofed health and care system and the achievement of the goals set by NHS England.

To learn more about how we are making a difference across the NHS, please click here to read more Insights from our clients.

[1] https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance-2024-25/