As more NHS organisations look to advance their digital maturity, the conversation is shifting. It’s no longer just about selecting an Electronic Patient Record (EPR). It’s about how trusts implement, optimise and realise value from it over time.

As Executive Vice President at Altera Digital Health (UK & EMEA), I want to share my perspective on why more trusts are choosing Altera, what they can expect from their digital transformation journey and how confidence in EPR adoption can be built across the NHS.

Welcoming new partners across Greater Manchester

We are delighted to begin our partnership with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, two major organisations in Greater Manchester that have chosen Altera as their digital partner.

The significance of these partnerships goes beyond individual implementations. Most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to work with more organisations to use digital solutions to improve the safety and reliability of care for their patients.

With these additions, five of the six acute trusts across Greater Manchester are now using the Altera EPR, widening Altera’s support of care delivery across our client sites in the region. That scale opens up powerful opportunities, not just for operational improvement, but for broader system‑wide impact. The data we’ll have, and what that enables in areas like preventative medicine, clinical studies and trials, could have benefits far beyond individual organisations, potentially across Greater Manchester as a whole.

Moving beyond ‘Go‑Live’: Digital as an ongoing journey

One theme I often return to when discussing EPR programmes is the need to rethink how we define success. Too often, go‑live is treated as the end point, the moment the job is “done.” In my experience, that mindset can limit the impact digital transformation can deliver.

I firmly believe that EPR adoption should be understood as an iterative, long‑term journey, not a single event. Go‑live is an important piece, of course, but it’s really just the beginning.

Why phased implementation matters

Drawing on my time as a CIO in the NHS, one of the approaches I consistently found most effective was delivering EPRs in a phased, modular way. This becomes even more critical in the current climate of sustained financial pressure across the NHS.

An early go‑live enables organisations to capitalise on something incredibly valuable: clinical enthusiasm and engagement. Clinicians don’t want to wait years to see progress. When benefits appear early, people start talking, sharing stories with colleagues and building momentum across the organisation.

That early momentum matters. It builds trust, sustains engagement, and—crucially—demonstrates value where it matters most: in daily clinical practice.

Just as importantly, phased implementation allows organisations to realise benefits earlier. In trusts where resources are stretched, this can be the difference between a programme that struggles to continue and one that is able to thrive.

When early phases deliver efficiencies or productivity gains, those benefits can be reinvested to fund later stages of the programme. Over time, that means EPR initiatives can become largely self‑funding, with early gains recycled to support optimisation and expansion rather than relying on large upfront investment.

What really drives EPR success?

Technology, no matter how sophisticated, is rarely the differentiator. From what I’ve seen, the real drivers of successful EPR adoption are far more human.

Time and again, the organisations that succeed are those that prioritise:

• Strong clinical leadership
• Meaningful engagement with users
• Continuous optimisation after deployment

There is a growing body of international evidence showing that organisations with higher levels of digital maturity consistently deliver safer, more reliable and more efficient care. But evidence alone doesn’t convince people.

To build confidence, we must do more than talk about maturity models and metrics. We have to tell real stories.

As I often say: Part of the challenge is explaining the benefits in those broader terms, but part of it is also sharing tangible examples from individual sites that show the impact digital tools have on patients and clinicians alike.

Why real‑world stories matter

One example that has stayed with me comes from Gloucestershire Hospitals.

With two acute hospitals around ten miles apart, the Acute Care Response Team at Gloucester was able to remotely monitor patients at Cheltenham using digital data. They could see signs of deterioration in real time, pick up the phone, contact ward teams and intervene early—sometimes before deterioration was obvious on the ward itself.

That ability to see, act and intervene made a real difference to patient safety.

These are the kinds of stories that resonate with clinicians. They cut through abstract conversations about systems and show clearly how EPRs can enable better, safer care in practice.

Sharing examples like this plays a vital role in building confidence in digital transformation. They reinforce that EPRs are not administrative overheads—they are clinical enablers, supporting better outcomes, improving teamwork and strengthening patient safety.

Looking ahead

As more trusts start or continue their digital journeys, I believe the focus needs to remain on partnership, pace and purpose.

By taking a phased approach, keeping clinicians at the centre, and learning from real‑world success stories, organisations can move beyond implementation towards sustained digital maturity.

And as we’re increasingly seeing with the growing footprint of Altera across Greater Manchester, the opportunity isn’t just at individual trust level. With the right foundations in place, digital transformation has the potential to drive system‑wide improvements, delivering benefits that extend far beyond any single organisation.

To learn more about we are supporting NHS client trusts across the UK, please see our client stories here.