Patients are benefitting from a new digital prescribing and medicines administration system as paper charts at the bedside are replaced at the largest hospital in Wales.
Staff working on nephrology and transplant wards at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff are now using electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA). They are the first department at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to begin using the new system, which has been introduced in collaboration with technology supplier Nervecentre and Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) on behalf of Welsh Government, .
Over the coming months the software will be implemented across Cardiff and Vale’s hospital sites. The technology will help to reduce the potential for medication errors and make the delivery of care safer and more efficient, with benefits felt by both patients and staff.
A dedicated team of Cardiff and Vale UHB staff have been working to ensure the system is rolled out safely and that ward staff are fully supported. Behind the scenes, the CAV UHB team engage with clinical staff to optimise the system. This allows for the safe and effective prescribing and administration of medicines.
CAVUHB ePMA Programme Lead Elaine Lewis said:
“I’m excited to see the positive impact the new system will have across our facilities, for the people we care for, and for our committed workforce at Cardiff and Vale UHB.
This milestone is the result of years of work and collaboration between our Cardiff ePMA team, and DHCW, Welsh Government and Nervecentre. The exciting project is already seeing it’s impact on the ground and we’re thankful to all involved.”
ePMA forms a key component of the national Digital Medicines Programme, managed by DHCW.
Dr Lesley Hewer, DHCW Chair of the National ePMA programme, said:
“It’s fantastic to see Cardiff and Vale UHB make such an important first step in the rollout of electronic prescribing systems in its hospitals.
Cardiff and Vale is the second health board to go live and the first with the new system to Wales from Nervecentre. The team has worked well with DHCW partners to help them achieve this milestone go-live.”
Paul Volkaerts, CEO of Nervecentre, said:
“It's fantastic to see Cardiff and Vale leading the way as the first health board to adopt ePMA on our cloud platform. We're incredibly excited to partner with an NHS provider that's embracing the same cutting-edge cloud technology we all use every day. This really is a pivotal moment for NHS architecture, and we're already seeing it make a positive difference for both staff and patients.”
Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Wales Andrew Evans said:
“The shift to digital prescribing across all hospitals and primary care is supporting increasing NHS productivity and leading to further improvements in the safe and effective use of medicines.
“The announcement that Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is rolling out ePMA to its renal wards and then hospital sites is yet another example of the excellent progress being made to deliver the Welsh Government’s commitment to fully implement electronic prescribing in Wales.”
Following a successful pathfinder project at Swansea Bay University Health Board, every health board in Wales is making the move from paper bedside charts to digital systems. All have now announced partnerships with their chosen software suppliers and you can read more on the Digital Medicines news pages.