Mental health provider Priory signs five-year EPMA contract

Priory has signed a five-year contract with digital medical management solutions firm Ashtons which includes its electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA) system.

The contract renewal encompasses medicines supply, audit and clinical advice from pharmacists, training and e-learning for staff, and e-Works EPMA.

e-Works is a cloud-based system which includes decision support for prescribers and a medicines administration scheduler.

Adrian Cree, chief medical officer at Priory, said: “We are delighted to have signed this five-year contract with Ashtons because of their unwavering commitment to patient safety, their innovative solutions, and their proven ability to deliver exceptional service.

“Our long-standing partnership with the company has consistently demonstrated significant improvements in medication management and patient outcomes, making Ashtons the ideal partner as we continue to enhance our services and support our patients’ needs.”

The e-Works system was rolled-out, under the previous contract, to all 53 of Priory’s mental health facilities in early 2024, following 14 months of planning and implementation.

Under the new contract, Priory will become the first healthcare provider to implement the Ashtons ‘2.0 programme’, which will enable pharmacists to offer more regular advice remotely, using the information captured by e-Works to reduce the need to visit hospitals to review paper charts.

Also Priory has adopted an enhanced stock management module, which will streamline the review of medicine supplies, simplify the ordering of new stock, and improve the management of controlled drugs.

Selwyn John, implementation manager at Ashtons, said: “e-Works supports doctors to prescribe and nurses to record the administration of medications to support patient care.

“It is evolving software that we are continuously developing, for mental health and for hospices and clinic”.

Stephen Tuddenham, chief executive at Ashtons, added: “This milestone contract renewal will also support our growth and solidifies our reputation as a leader in digital-first medicines management solutions”.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust announced it had gone live with an EPMA solution from System C in January 2024.