Patients and staff in Bath, Salisbury and Swindon to benefit from a new shared electronic record

The three Trusts that form the Acute Hospital Alliance - Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, have embarked on a new programme to implement a new shared Electronic Patient Record (EPR) across the three organisations.

With backing from the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB), the significant investment over the 23/24 – 26/27 financial years will enable clinical staff within the region to digitally share patient information between Trusts.

The plans were approved by NHS England, with Oracle Health appointed to deliver the new digital solution.

The Shared EPR will ensure that staff have access to health-related information when and where it is needed, supporting them to deliver care efficiently, effectively and safely. In addition, it will help to reduce variations in care across the region and improve outcomes for patients.

Dr Roger Stedman, Senior Responsible Officer for the Shared EPR Programme comments:

“With patient safety at its core, a shared Electronic Patient Record offers many opportunities for us to be more efficient and consistent in the way that we deliver our services and transform clinical pathways across our system. We are currently in the early stages of this programme and excited to be working as an Acute Hospital Alliance to share one single digital solution.

“The fully integrated system will provide a complete, instant view of patient data within a single information space, ensuring the right information is available at the right time. By sharing knowledge between our three organisations, we’ll improve patient care and experience, making it easier for patients to move between hospitals and departments as their records will be visible wherever they are in the region.”

Sue Harriman, Chief Executive Officer, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said:

“The shared Electronic Patient Record system is a tangible example of how real-life integration is happening in earnest across our region.

“Not only will this new system have a positive impact on patient safety, it will also make an enormous difference to our hard-working frontline colleagues, who will now be able to access everything they need to know about someone in their care – regardless of where in the region that person lives – in real time.

“On behalf of all the organisations within our integrated care system, I would like to thank everyone who has been instrumental in getting this fantastic new initiative off the ground.” 

The NHS England Frontline Digitisation programme is providing investment and practical help to support the Trusts, in preparation for the shared EPR to go live across the three Trusts during 2026.

Dr Jon Westbrook, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 

“We are delighted that the shared Electronic Patient Record across the three acute trusts of the BSW system has been approved by NHS England, recognising the importance of the benefits that an integrated EPR for our system can provide and our continued efforts to improve experiences for patients and staff.”

This marks a milestone in our ongoing digital transformation across the Trust and is part of our recognition that by working together with partners we can use our collective resources to give patients the best outcomes possible whilst improving the working lives of our staff.

This exciting programme of work will see us engage with staff, patients, and stakeholders across the organisation as part of our continued commitment to avoiding the duplication of patient records and improving our understanding of the lives and health of the populations we serve.”