NHS England has said it has met the Government’s target for 90% of trusts adopting electronic patient records (EPRs) in hospitals.
A total of 189 NHS trusts have now introduced new systems, with Hillingdon Hospitals and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS trusts becoming the latest to go live.
The Government set the target of December 2023 in the Plan for digital health and social care, published last year.
NHS England is investing £1.9 billion to support hospital trusts to either adopt a new or improve their existing systems. Last year it spent over £400 million to support 150 NHS trusts, and a further £500 million is due to reach trusts this year.
Chief executive's praise
Speaking at the NHS Providers National Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool on Wednesday, NHS England’s chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Thanks to the teams at Sheffield Health and Social Care and Hillingdon Hospitals, who completed their go-lives over the last couple of weeks, you have now delivered on the target for 90% of trusts to have this capability in place ahead of winter.
“Delivering that switch isn’t easy but it’s worth it because that’s the underpinning work that will enable us to benefit from new technologies.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I am pleased NHS England has met this important target ahead of schedule and look forward to working with the health service to ensure all NHS staff have the resources they need to deliver the modern healthcare our patients deserve.”
EPR systems in hospitals combine patient notes, lab results, observations and digital prescribing. Alert features can also help clinicians quickly identify those at risk from conditions such as sepsis.
The next target is for 95% of trusts to have an EPR in place by March 2025. The remaining hospitals are expected to go live the following year.
