Two Devon trusts sign contract for Epic EPR

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust have both signed a contract with Epic for an electronic patient record (EPR).

The agreement is part of a shared vision to implement a single EPR across Devon under the One Devon EPR programme.

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust implemented Epic’s EPR 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 EPR 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.”

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is planned to go live with the EPR in spring 2026, followed by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in summer 2026.

Additional functionality will be made available in the Royal Devon system, which will improve the overall system for all three trusts.

Simeon Brundell, chief clinical information officer for University Hospitals Plymouth, said: “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.”

Having a single digital record for each patient is intended to improve the visibility of information between medical teams, which helps to improve safety and quality of care.

Dr Michael Green, chief clinical information officer for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: “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.”

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.

Leslie Selby, vice president at Epic, said: “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.”

Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust also announced that it had selected Epic as its preferred EPR supplier in February 2024.