NHSE announces £16m procurement of teams to support EPR delivery
- 22 January 2024
NHS England said it had opened a tender worth £16 million to support provider organisations as they seek to improve their digital maturity and get electronic patient records in place by the end of March 2026.
NHSE said its frontline digitisation programme is working with NHS secondary care trusts providing acute specialist, community, mental health and ambulance services to help them reach a minimum level of digital capability as defined by the Digital Capabilities Framework.
To fulfil this ambition, NHSE is seeking a partner to create an experienced, multi-skilled, rapid response intervention service, also known as a Tiger Teams service, capable of supporting EPR delivery across England.
This service will be an expansion to an existing comprehensive support offer available to providers, designed to support the national demand for resource, expertise, and information necessary to successfully rollout EPRs.
In explanatory material included with the tender announcement, NHSE noted the “notoriously complex” nature of EPR implementation and the fact that the digital, data and technology workforce across the country is varied, with different levels of experience and skill sets.
It added: “Often during EPR delivery, there is a requirement for either a planned, or unplanned, specific, time-bound skill set, capable of providing a set of deliverables, problem rectification or other specialist intervention for an element of the EPR Programme.
“Trusts are finding it increasingly challenging to obtain good quality, skilled short-term resources, both from the recruitment and contingent labour market.”
The all-encompassing nature of EPR launches clearly has been a focus of the health service in recent weeks. Last week, NHSE wrote to health service leaders reminding them of their requirement to submit nationally mandated returns during the implementation of electronic patient record systems.
The letter followed a series of high-profile cases where trusts had been left unable to provide statutory reporting for extended periods following an EPR go-live.
The deadline for bidders to apply for a pre-tender market engagement event is 29 January 2024 at noon, the announcement said. Suppliers wishing to participate in the event will receive the necessary documents on 5 February, and will have until 16 February to provide written responses.
4 Comments
Tiger teams another idea from the military but looks like NHSE have failed in analysing what the problem is before jumping to a solution. The first question to ask is why do Trusts struggle to introduce new technology.
Probably the most crucial aspect of any introduction is the planning and asking the end user what it needs to do for them. In my experience this is the bit that is often missed out.
Yet again, the NHS at the highest level is missing the point.
Transformation is about engagement and gaining buy-in, NOT technology. NPfIT was a clear example where the digital aspect drowned out the primary purpose of the programme. (National Programme for IT supporting 21st Century Healthcare).
Until there is a clear understanding that the change in how health and care are planned, delivered and documented and the realisation that there currently is a great level of confusion between what is required administratively and what is recorded clinically, no EPR or other digital programme will be fully successful. Concentrate on the People, their processes and when you have sorted these, seek the technologies to support the change.
I couldn’t agree with you more Felim. It’s always seems to “ the answer is X system, which comes with a whole lot of new processes, that the people have to now adhere to!!”
It should always start with ‘Stop, Start,Continue’ What do we want to stop doing as it’s a waste of time and no value, with that time back what do we want to start doing that adds value benefits and what do we want to continue doing as it delivers value everyday.
‘Tiger Teams’. Really?
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