University Hospitals Plymouth goes live with new electronic patient record joining acute hospitals in Devon
Patients and staff across Devon are set to benefit from a single, shared electronic patient record (EPR) when University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust goes live with Epic on Thursday 23 July.
The go live at UHP with Epic marks the culmination of a programme designed to transform healthcare in Devon by creating a single, shared digital system bringing together hospital and some specialist community services onto one modern, trusted platform.
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust staff and patients have already experienced the benefits of Epic, which went live in East Devon in 2020 and North Devon in 2022. Torbay and South Devon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust went live in April this year and, with University Hospitals Plymouth about to go live, there will soon be a single electronic patient record allowing staff across the three organisations to access patients’ health and care information quickly and securely.
For patients, this means that no matter which hospital they attend in Devon, they will no longer need to remember their medical history or repeat the same information to different teams. Information can follow the patient more seamlessly, helping to improve continuity, safety and experience of care.
Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer, Digital, Research and Transformation at the Royal Devon and Senior Responsible Owner for the One Devon EPR Programme, said: “The Epic go-live at UHP marks a truly transformational moment for our three partner organisations and for health and care across Devon. The introduction of a single electronic patient record will enable us to deliver safer, more efficient and more coordinated care - reducing duplication, supporting better clinical decision making, and, over time, giving our colleagues more time to focus on what matters most: our patients.”
Introducing Epic across University Hospitals Plymouth and Torbay and South Devon has been achieved through close collaboration between organisations, building on experience gained at the Royal Devon, through the One Devon EPR programme. Clinical and administrative teams have worked together on the shared system to standardise approaches to care across Devon, while digital teams have delivered the infrastructure and technology needed to support staff across hospital sites and community settings.
Deputy Chief Executive at UHP Sarah Brampton said: “I’m incredibly proud of the dedication, collaboration and sheer hard work shown by our teams in reaching this milestone. Bringing a single electronic patient record to University Hospitals Plymouth is a huge achievement for Devon. We are already seeing the benefits elsewhere in the system, and I’m really looking forward to the positive impact this will have for both our patients and our staff - supporting more seamless care, improving access to information, and helping our teams to work more efficiently so they can focus on delivering the best possible care.”
Epic will bring many benefits across a range of clinical specialities, including for the South West Transplant Centre based at UHP and the primary site for renal transplantation in Devon and Cornwall. Epic will transform how organ transplant patient care is managed across Devon, by providing specialised tools designed specifically for the complex needs of transplant patients and teams.
Consultant Nephrologist Imran Saif said: “A new shared EPR represents a significant step forward for transplant care, enabling us to manage the entire patient journey within a single, unified system. From initial evaluation through to long-term follow-up, it gives our teams -surgeons, coordinators and specialist nurses - complete visibility of each patient’s progress. This means better information sharing, more coordinated care closer to home, and fewer unnecessary repeat tests or duplication when patients move between organisations. Most importantly, it enhances patient safety by ensuring all clinicians have access to up-to-date immunosuppression plans and post-transplant monitoring, wherever care is delivered.”
For patients, a key feature of the EPR is the MY CARE patient portal, an app and online service that brings information about care into one place. 250,000 patients across Devon are now signed up.
MY CARE allows patients to view some elements of their health record, including appointment information, test results and letters, helping them feel more informed and in control of their care.
UHP patient council member Zara Teare, lives with a chronic lung condition and has been treated by the trust all her life. For her the benefits of a single joined up EPR and patient portal are huge. “Too often, I’ve had to repeat my medical history over and over again to different doctors and healthcare professionals when being admitted as an inpatient. Having all my information to hand will make that experience less stressful. It's a positive step towards a more connected, patient-centred NHS”
More information about the new electronic patient record and details of how to create a MY CARE account can be found on the Trust’s website.
