Dartford and Gravesham goes live with Better Meds ePMA

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has gone live with the Better Meds electronic prescribing and medicine management (ePMA) system and integrated it into its electronic patient record (EPR) system.

Inpatient wards at Darent Valley Hospital rolled out the system over a weekend in July 2024, with the aim of making it safer, faster and easier to prescribe and administer medicines.

During the two days, a dedicated clinical team transcribed more than 500 paper drug charts and 8,000 prescriptions into the system. As each ward went live, and the first e-prescribing and ePMA drug rounds took place, a team of superuser digital heroes were on hand assisting staff through the process.

Dr Guy Sisson, chief clinical informatics officer at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, said: “Our vision is to be an outstanding hospital trust providing the best possible care for our patients that is safe, well-coordinated, in the right place and designed around the person’s needs.

“Our new ePMA system is perfectly aligned and a true digital representation of our aspirations”.

The ePMA has been integrated into the trust’s Alcidion Miya Precision EPR, to connect drug information with patient assessments, allergies, and key lab results.

As well as enhancing safety for prescribers, the integration is intended to save clinicians time by offering standardised order sets and allowing multiple users to view and use the medication record simultaneously.

Kate Quirke, chief executive at Alcidion, said: “It was inspiring to witness the dedication and extensive collaboration that led to the success of this rollout. We are proud to support Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust as they continue to expand and improve upon their digital infrastructure.

“We are also grateful for our partners like Better, who share in our belief that smart technology can drive meaningful change. We look forward to continuing this journey together, building on our joint commitment to innovation and progress.”

The move to the Better Meds ePMA allows staff to receive digital prescriptions that are legible, complete and include decision support, such as drug interaction, high-dose alerts and automated allergy checking, proving support and reassurance to those giving care.

The trust now has instant access to dose-level data reporting which was previously trapped in paper and can now be analysed to implement medication safety improvements.

Alja Babič, Better Meds implementation consultancy lead at Better, said: “It’s been a pleasure supporting Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust to optimise prescribing and medicine management.

“The ‘big bang’ rollout was one of the best we’ve been involved in.

“It was smooth, well-planned and expertly managed, and the team should be extremely pleased with the progress made”.

Babič added that it is the ninth Better Meds go-live in the UK and the firm is “working further on improving medication management processes”.

Other NHS trusts to roll out the Better Meds ePMA include North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.