Derby delays Lorenzo go-live

Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has delayed the go-live of its Lorenzo electronic patient record system until February next year.

Documents obtained by EHI also reveal the trust is concerned about negative feedback on the system given to its staff while on a site visit to Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust was due to go live in November this year, but has delayed the deployment of the EPR due to lack of staff engagement and complications around data migration.

A paper presented to Derby’s September board meeting says the trust has just completed the migration of trust data onto the system, but that “due to the complexity of the exercise and logistical concerns regarding staff support, it had recently been agreed to put back the date to the February 2014 half term.”

“The delay in the go live date has enabled the trainers more time to familiarise themselves with processes carried out on the ‘shop floor’ to ultimately deliver more effective end user training,” it says.

The trust is one of eight trusts signed up to take Lorenzo since CSC and the Department of Health reached an interim agreement last September, after a long contract negotiation.

The deal removed CSC’s exclusive right as local service provider for the North, Midlands and East of England, but still offers trusts central funding for deployment and service costs of Lorenzo.

Last year, Derby put its patient administration system procurement on hold, while it assessed the Lorenzo offer before deciding to take the system at a board meeting in January this year.

The trust’s June Lorenzo Programme Board minutes, obtained by EHI under the Freedom of Information Act, also say that the trust has struggled to get its staff on-board with the new system, especially after a site visit to Birmingham Women’s revealed that staff there were not impressed with Lorenzo.

“With regard to the visit to Birmingham Women’s Hospital, (general manager Paul Selmic) was concerned by the negative feedback given by their staff to our staff regarding Lorenzo,” says the board minutes.

“(Lee Outhwaite, director of finance, IM&T and Estates) stated that more pro-active communication was needed, especially with the benefits and how this will impact on the way staff work.”

EHI reported earlier this month that Tameside NHS Foundation Trust will be the first to go live with Lorenzo next month. Derby’s delayed go-live means Tameside will be the only trust to go live this calendar year.

The support contract for Derby’s Totalcare PAS from McKesson expires at the end of March next year.

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust also run McKesson legacy systems and will need to go live with Lorenzo before April 2014.

“Following the delay in the go-live date to the 24 February 2014 the project plan has been reworked with CSC and Health and Social Care Information Centre to ensure it fits in with the dates for other trusts,” says the Derby board minutes.

The HSCIC manages the contract and the funding on behalf of the DH.