Sheffield Health and Social Care issues seven-year EPR tender

A Yorkshire trust has issued a tender for an electronic patient record over a period of seven years.

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (HSC) is looking to replace its in-house developed electronic patient record (EPR) system with a “fully managed” solution.

The successful bidder will be expected to support the trust in the delivery of its mental health and social care services over an initial seven-year (84 month) period, with the option to extend the contract up to 10 years.

The trust worked with professional services firm Apira to develop its EPR business case and run the procurement.

The selected supplier will be expected to provide an EPR that will “provide clinical and non-clinical teams with improved access to patient information, making it easier for staff to access the right information at the right time”, according to a statement from the trust and Apira.

It will also provide a single point of entry for patient data, with staff able to access it remotely from anywhere, making it easy to use and reducing duplication of data.

Andrew Male, chief digital and information officer at the trust, said: “Digital is a key enabler by providing staff with the tools needed to carry out their roles effectively, enabling safe, efficient, and high-quality care.

“A modern, robust and reliable electronic patient record solution across the trust is an essential component of making this a reality and we are pleased to have Apira on board to support our journey.

“Covid-19 has already demonstrated that there is not just a readiness, but also a desire to use technology to support and enhance the care given to patients and we will look forward to welcoming our new EPR system partner.”

Other mental health trusts in the region – South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw; West Yorkshire and Harrogate; and Humber, Coast and Vale integrated care systems – may join the contract at a later stage, the tender notice states.

“Sheffield HSC are seeking a supplier to provide a range of deployment/implementation services as well as hosting the EPR and providing support and maintenance services on a continuing basis,” according to the tender notice.

The expected cost of the contract was not disclosed. The tender is open until August 23, with the successful supplier expected to launch the EPR by January 2022 until the contract end date of January 2029.

More information on the tender can be found here.