Just 50 days until QVH launches its Electronic Patient Record

Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) is launching its first Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system in just 50 days’ time!

Named Archie EPR by staff as a nod to pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe, or Archie to his friends, the system will support the Trust in transforming how its staff work every day. It is the most significant digital transformation programme the Trust has ever undertaken

Archie EPR will help the Trust to provide safe and efficient care, with staff able to access the information they need at their fingertips.

Archie EPR, delivered in conjunction with Altera using its Sunrise EPR platform, also aligns to the 10 Year Health Plan for England’s emphasis on moving from analogue to digital solutions in the NHS, and the organisation’s key strategic objectives.

The project has been supported by funding from the NHS England Future Digitisation programme, helping trusts across England to have an EPR system in place by 2026.

The introduction of an EPR is a significant project which will bring information currently stored in different places together into one place, so it is accessible when it is needed. Implementation work began in 2024 and core elements relating to Inpatients, Outpatients, electronic prescribing (ePMA), Theatres and Minor Injuries and Reporting modules will go live in November 2025.

Tamara Everington, Chief Medical Officer at Queen Victoria Hospital, said:

“The Archie EPR programme is not just a technological upgrade; it represents a fundamental cultural shift in the way QVH operates. Patient care will remain at the heart of our mission with this change enabling staff to deliver care more efficiently by being able to access digitised records when they need it.”

The introduction of Archie EPR is part of the Trust’s long-term strategy to become a fully digitally enabled NHS provider.

Patient focused, clinically led, digitally enabled.

Archie EPR programme will transform patient care in the following ways:

1. Effortless data population: With cutting-edge technology, staff can input data into the EPR system with minimal effort, freeing up time for direct patient care.
2. Instant access to critical Information: Clinicians will have rapid, on-demand access to the information they need, whenever and wherever it’s required in support of better patient outcomes.
3. Streamlined processes: The simplification of administrative tasks will reduce time spent on data entry, allowing more time to focus on patients.
4. Improved clinical outcomes: A single source of data ensures that clinical teams have comprehensive, real-time information at their fingertips, improving decision-making and patient safety.
5. Seamless integration: Archie EPR acts as a portal to integrate information from various clinical systems, ensuring a smooth flow of data across departments and improving the overall patient experience.
6. Paper-lite organisation: By reducing reliance on paper, QVH is moving toward a more environmentally friendly, paper-lite approach to patient records.
7. Enhanced data collection: The EPR system will enhance data collection to inform operational performance, optimise efficiency, and provide valuable insights into the health needs of the local population.
8. Integrated care across Sussex, Surrey and Kent: Archie EPR will support service transformation and integration, allowing clinical teams across care settings to receive information from a single, unified source of data.
9. Electronic alerts for clinicians: Clinicians will receive timely electronic notifications to undertake reviews and guides for decision support, ensuring proactive and responsive care.

Succeeding together at QVH.

For further information, please contact qvh.communications@nhs.net