Buckinghamshire takes Medway for autumn

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has chosen System C’s Medway electronic patient record system to replace its existing Cerner Millennium system, with plans to go live in autumn.

Under the new ten-year contract, System C will supply a managed service for the Medway patient administration system, as well as modules for A&E, results reporting, maternity, mobile working, theatres, clinical documentation, task management, and observations.

Graham Softley, the trust’s associate director for IT and strategy, told EHI News the trust went out to tender for a new PAS and EPR in March 2014.

Softley said Medway was chosen after a “rigorous” procurement process including clinicians and staff groups, with its “functionality and flexibility” standing out to support the trust’s needs.

“For us, Medway is the right way because it will simplify and enhance the way we access and use our information, while supporting our mission to deliver safe and compassionate care every time.

“It will help the trust streamline its administrative processes to improve the service provided to patients, support the electronic recording of clinically rich information to improve patient care whilst at the same time reducing the amount of paper used.”

The trust’s decision to implement Medway represents a significant reversal from its plans three years ago, when it told EHI News about its work to add clinical functionality to Cerner Millennium as part of a "five year journey" towards a fully operational EPR.

Buckinghamshire was the third trust in the South of England to implement Cerner Millennium as part of the National Programme for IT, going live in September 2006.

Katie Coward from Buckingham said in 2012 that the trust was planning to use Cerner as the foundation on which to build an EPR, with an accompanying five-year plan.

“We didn’t want to take a big bang approach; we wanted to do it at our own pace. The plan is to develop both Millennium and RiO [the community and mental health system from CSE Healthcare] to develop an EPR,” she said.

Softley told EHI News the trust has already started working on the implementation process for Medway, with a go-live expected to be completed in autumn this year.

Markus Bolton, joint chief executive of System C, said the company is “delighted to have the opportunity to deploy Medway at a trust of this size and stature”.

The trust runs three acute hospitals, five community hospitals, and a number of community services across the county.

It also runs the National Spinal Injuries Centre from Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a leading stroke service and a regional centre for burn care, plastic surgery and dermatology.