A new electronic patient record (EPR) powered by Epic has officially launched across Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts today.
The launch of Epic integrates hundreds of varied IT systems previously in use across both organisations into one single, electronic system, giving staff a complete overview of a person’s care, and freeing up more time to spend on patient care.
The joint go-live of the new system is the biggest ever single go-live of Epic’s EPR anywhere in the world.
It was officially switched on at both trusts at 6am today (Thursday 5 October), following years of detailed planning by hundreds of teams from both trusts, which included the secure migration of patient information from a number of historic IT systems and paper records into one single system now in use.
Simultaneously, Synnovis, a partnership venture between the two Trusts and SYNLAB, has gone live with a new Laboratory Information Management System, which consolidates the trusts’ multiple systems into one, also powered by Epic.
Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, welcomed the successful launch of Epic across both trusts.
He said: “The launch of Epic across Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s has been years in the planning, and delivers the technology that our patients and staff truly deserve. I am delighted that they are now able to benefit from the new system, including our new patient app MyChart, and its potential to improve the care we provide.
“I am incredibly proud of our teams, who have worked extremely hard to get this fantastic new system live – and over the coming weeks and months, I am confident we will begin to see the full benefits of Epic realised for patients, and staff.”
The trust also shared its delight on X (formerly known as Twitter) following the long-awaited launch:
Lift off 🚀
We’re delighted to announce that Epic, our new electronic health record system, has launched today across Guy’s and St Thomas’ and @KingsCollegeNHS.
Find out more: https://t.co/D3a628S4DY#TeamGSTT #EpicLaunch (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Wz0gmbZAPK
— Guy’s and St Thomas’ (@GSTTnhs) October 5, 2023
Guy’s and St Thomas’ warned patients on X that appointments at its hospital and community sites may take a little longer than usual, as its teams access the new EPR system.
The launch of Epic has required careful planning over a number of years, with activity intensifying in recent months.
Delivered through the Apollo programme, a joint programme of work across the three partner organisations, staff have mapped the go-live out to the last detail, including the installation of new technology and devices across multiple sites, the safe transfer of patient data from old systems to new, and a comprehensive launch plan including ‘on-the-floor’ support for staff and regular communications with patients and the public.
Professor Clive Kay, chief executive at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added: “This is a real game-changer for staff and patients across both trusts, and I am delighted that we are introducing a truly transformative electronic patient record across both organisations.
“Our staff deliver first-rate patient care every day, and with Epic, it won’t matter which hospital or community setting patients are treated in – staff will be able to access their information at the touch of a button.
“I am pleased that we now have a system in place that will make their working lives easier, and empower them to innovate for the benefit of patients.”