A new digital partnership to improve patient care

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has announced an exciting new partnership to transform patient care through the use of better digital technology.

The Trust will work with Epic to implement a new single integrated electronic health record system across the organisation, which is due to go live in April 2023.

Currently the Trust uses a number of different IT systems to record the care given to a patient. This means it can take a large amount of time and administrative effort for a clinician to view a patient’s complete medical record.

The new electronic health record system will replace many of these existing systems, providing access to a single source of information about each patient, and freeing up time for clinical teams to spend directly on a person’s care.

As part of the delivery of the new system, the Trust will also work with Epic to deploy a patient portal to provide patients with access to their medical records, enabling them to book appointments and more actively engage in their health in partnership with their clinicians.

Epic have 40 years of experience in the health sector, working particularly strongly with academic medical centres across America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and in addition, a number of other NHS Trusts.

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “I am delighted that we have chosen Epic to help us implement a new electronic health record system at the Trust. This is a hugely significant moment for us.  

“Importantly, introducing a new EHR system is not just about new technology. It is more about changing the way we work every day, using new tools and high quality data to improve the way we provide care to our patients.

“We will newly empower our patients by providing them with access to better information and empower our staff by providing them with a modern, digital, working experience.”

Leslie Selby, Epic Vice President said: “Each patient at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust will have a single record of care throughout the organisation, including community and child health. The Trust will be able to offer patients access to their records through web apps and will have digital tools to support telehealth, interoperable record exchange, medical research, and education.

“We look forward to supporting the Trust as it continues its long tradition of leadership in research, discovery, and clinical excellence for patients.”

It is envisioned, subject to approvals, that the deployment of Epic will also be extended into Royal Brompton & Harefield and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts.

Beverley Bryant, Chief Digital Information Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts said: “The potential to implement Epic across our three organisations provides us with a once in a generation opportunity to re-imagine our clinical workflows and provide a vastly improved experience for our staff and patients.

“This programme will signify a major transformational change and underpin our ambitions for high quality care for the patients that we serve. Our teams have been working towards this point for some time, so to now embark on the deployment journey is extremely exciting. I look forward to providing our staff and patients with the digital platform that they deserve.”