News

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, alongside Better Meds, has been shortlisted for the Partnership of the Year award in the Health Tech News (HTN) awards.

This recognition follows a ground-breaking digital transformation project, a 10-week rapid rollout of the Better Meds electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) system in the Trust’s pilot area at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital in Bromsgrove.

The ePMA solution allows clinicians to access prescribing and medicines administration charts remotely in real-time, replacing traditional paper-based charts.

Dr John Devapriam, Medical Director for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust , emphasised the remarkable impact of the transition. “The implementation of ePMA marks a key moment in our commitment to patient safety and experience, and staff have really seen the benefits. The move to digital not only reduces paper waste, but brings other benefits like reducing prescribing, dispensing, administration and transcription errors. It all helps to lighten the workload for our dedicated staff, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Dr John Devapriam also praised the collaborative spirit of the project, saying: “I am very proud of our ePMA project team for being shortlisted for this award and for all their fantastic work to bring this project together. It has been a quick turn around and the Better Meds team have also been continuously supportive throughout this process and have really taken the time to get to know our requirements.”

The success of the pilot program prompted an accelerated rollout plan, aiming to make the system available to all the Trust’s community hospitals by the end of October 2023.

Ashok, Better Meds Implementation Consultant said “From the very beginning of the project, the collaborative approach of the  Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust project team, coupled with ongoing engagement and planning, immediately filled me with confidence. I was confident that we would not only achieve the operational milestones and provide a secure application to the clinicians in the pilot ward but also possess award-worthy material. Winning the HTN award shortlist for Partnership of the Year provided additional confirmation that our work was really outstanding.”

The Trust is now gearing up for phase two of the project with Better Meds, with the aim to pilot the system in their acute mental health services in early 2024.

Winners of the Health Tech News Awards will be announced on 12^th October, 2023.

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Notes:

Pictured: Some members of the ePMA project team, part of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust