Airedale NHS FT postpones Oracle EPR go-live indefinitely

Exclusive: Airedale NHS Foundation Trust told Digital Health News that it has postponed the go-live of its Oracle Health electronic patient record (EPR) system indefinitely to resolve any issues and ensure colleagues feel confident in using the new system.

The Millennium EPR from Oracle Health was initially scheduled to be deployed at the trust in September 2024, but was pushed back until November 2024 to allow further testing to ensure the system is safe and efficient.

The go-live has now been postponed again, with no new date scheduled as of yet, the trust confirmed.

Foluke Ajayi, chief executive at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, told Digital Health News: “Airedale NHS FT has been working towards switching to Oracle Health’s electronic patient record programme later this month.

“Having reviewed organisational readiness, together with outstanding risks and proposed mitigations, the trust board took the decision to postpone the go live.

“This pause will allow the trust to review any outstanding work that needs to take place, any issues that need to be resolved and to ensure colleagues feel sufficiently confident in how to use the new system to do their jobs most effectively.  

“On completion of this review, a new go-live date will be scheduled.”

Once implemented, the Oracle Health Millennium EPR is intended to allow hospital staff at the trust who are directly involved with a patient’s care to have some level of access to the system.

Clinicians will be expected to update it every time they deliver care so that it is a real time record.

Ajayi added: “Whilst delays in programmes of this scale are not unusual, the trust is disappointed that they couldn’t take the final step to going live this month.

“They remain committed to pressing forward at pace to ensure that they’re in the ideal place to go live safely, to continue to provide the best care possible to their communities.”

The trust told Digital Health News in September 2024, that they would run training sessions for staff and gather stakeholder feedback about areas that staff believe need changing or amending as part of the normal build, test, fix and retest development and delivery cycle to deploy an EPR.

Meanwhile, in November 2024, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also delayed the go-live date for its Oracle Health Millennium EPR to deal with “outstanding issues” around system and organisational readiness.

Kirsten Major, chief executive at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust was not in the “best possible position” for the go-live, with a new date yet to be finalised.

Digital Health News contacted Oracle Health for comment.