A joint Devon Electronic Patient Record takes an Epic step forward
29 Jan 2025
An ambitious programme to transform care for patients and staff across Devon’s acute hospitals and community sites is a step closer following the awarding of a new contract for an electronic patient record (EPR).
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) have now formally signed a contract for an EPR with Epic, following national approval of both trusts’ full business cases in December.
The signing of the contracts signifies a major step forward in the shared vision to implement a single EPR across Devon, and by investing in a system from the same supplier, the three acute NHS trusts in Devon will be making the most of digital advances.
Epic uses cutting edge technology to create an EPR where staff can access patients’ health and care information quickly and securely. For patients, this will mean they don’t have to remember their medical history or repeat the same information to different members of staff, making their care journey more joined-up.
Royal Devon patients have already been experiencing the benefits of the Epic EPR. Having a single digital record for each patient improves the visibility of information between medical teams, which helps to improve safety and quality of care. This same digital record also offers patients better access to information about their own care through MY CARE, a digital platform for patients, which was introduced for East Devon in 2020 and for North Devon in 2022.
Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Responsible Officer for the One Devon EPR programme, said: “Our electronic patient record is already helping us to transform care for patients in North and East Devon. Collaborating across Devon will help us to embed change on a wider scale and make Epic as effective as possible for local people and communities.”
Mr Simeon Brundell, Chief Clinical Information Officer for University Hospitals Plymouth added: “The vision is to develop a Devon wide EPR that is jointly owned, implemented and supported in a truly collaborative programme. We know from the work we have previously done on our pathways, across Devon, that using multiple clinical systems and paper records is challenging for our staff and presents issues for patients accessing our services. By streamlining our digital processes into one programme, we will enable our staff to focus on decision making supported by accurate and timely information, as well as patient care.”
Dr Michael Green, Chief Clinical Information Officer for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust explains why this is such an important step for our partnerships in Devon: “Our ambitions for a One Devon EPR are already enabling closer collaboration across the Devon system. The EPR will support our transition into digitally led organisations. It will transform how we work, allow us to quickly and securely share patient information and facilitate the adoption of standardised clinical, operational, and administrative pathways to deliver the best possible care for our patients.”
Leslie Selby, Epic Vice President said: “We are honoured to welcome Torbay and South Devon, and University Hospitals Plymouth, as they join the Royal Devon in delivering high-quality, connected care on a single integrated platform. Regional collaboration on Epic’s digital platform supports NHS convergence goals, including real-time access for patients to interact with their personal health records and care coordination between clinicians to support better outcomes across the trusts. Patients will have better access to care, improved communication options and new tools to manage their health, driving equity and healthcare transformation region wide.”
All three trusts are now working closely with Epic with a planned go live date for TSDFT in Spring 2026 with UHP following in Summer 2026. As the Devon rollout takes place, additional functionality will be made available in the Royal Devon system too, which will improve the overall system for all three trusts.
