A Devon trust remains in negotiations with Epic, more than three years after selecting the US company as its preferred electronic patient record (EPR) supplier.
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust confirmed on 5 September that it remained in “on-going discussions” with Epic about its EPR.
Digital Health News reported in May 2014 that Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust had selected Epic to supply its EPR. The trust approved an EPR business case in April 2015, and in March 2016 it remained locked in discussions.
“We remain committed to implementing an electronic patient records system and are in on-going discussions with our preferred supplier Epic”, a trust spokeswoman said.
“We hope to provide a more detailed update on this in due course, subject to the necessary approval from NHS Improvement.”
The affordability of the Epic EPR has previously been highlighted as an issue for the organisation.
NHS Improvement has previously rejected multi-million pound EPR bids.
In March, the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust had its £26.3 million integrated EPR plan refused by NHS Improvement.
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals is still waiting for NHS Improvement to sign off its part of a region wide EPR.
Intersystems’ TrakCare, won the £70 million tender for an EPR across Royal Liverpool, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in March.
Since Royal Devon selected Epic as its preferred supplier, the EPR has only gone live in one English trust, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of its £200 million eHospital programme.
Three years since that go-live in October 2014, Cambridge has gone through a series of difficulties including a major incident and financial issues to become one of the acute global digital exemplar trusts.
Its fast follower trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has also selected Epic as its EPR supplier.
Royal Devon is also in the midst of suing IT supplier, Atos, for an alleged breach of contract. The trust claims that Atos provided a computer system for recording patient information on electronic forms that is “unacceptably slow”.
Royal Devon provides specialist and emergency hospital services in Exeter and east and mid Devon, and is split across two sites.
Epic did not respond to questions before publication deadline.
17 September 2017 @ 21:17
free years of talking and meetings, just where is the accountability ? … in my personal and honest opinion, weak leadership in our public sector, what a disgrace !
18 September 2017 @ 10:43
Totally agree. Something needs to happen to stop these acute deployments seeming to be so bespoke. If Salesforce and Microsoft solutions can be deployed at scale… so can hospital moves. Acute IT deployments are a state. All involved can do better.,
22 September 2017 @ 12:43
That comment displays a distinct lack of ‘Insider’ understanding. RD&E may well be slightly deluded in believing that it can either afford or cope with going for Epic, but no large-scale Microsoft or Salesforce solution comes even close to the complexity of a PAS/EPR.
16 September 2017 @ 06:17
Maybe affordability could be solved by a strategic all Devon approach supported by NHS improvement. Now that would be EPIC!