Two Derbyshire trusts pick Nervecentre as preferred supplier for joint EPR

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) and Chesterfield Royal Hospital (CRH) have announced Nervecentre as the preferred supplier for a new joint electronic patient record (EPR) system.

The collaborative approach to procuring an integrated EPR solution across the two neighbouring trusts is set to bring significant benefits to patients and staff and will mean both acute providers within Joined Up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System (ICS) will be using the same system.

During the competitive tender process, including demonstration days and site visits to other NHS trusts who are using the systems currently, seven EPR providers presented their solutions and were scored on their social value, technical response, demonstration and commercial elements.  

Nervecentre scored highest overall and are the confirmed preferred bidder as the two trusts submit a full business case in February 2024. 

The new EPR system, which will take up to two years to fully implement, has a modern interface and works on mobile devices, meaning staff can have easy access to patient records at the bedside.  

The Nervecentre deployment will replace Meditech at Queen’s Hospital Burton, Lorenzo at the Royal Derby Hospital, and the best-of-breed systems currently used at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Will Monaghan, chief digital information officer at UHDB, said: “I am delighted that we have our preferred bidder. The EPR is the cornerstone on which we will transform our services for patients and make the working lives of thousands of staff better every single day.

“Nervecentre is an EPR that our clinical teams are excited by and gives us the ability to deliver the experiences our patients rightly expect. While this is just the beginning for us, we have started in the right way by giving the strongest voice to those who will use the system most.”

Nervecentre is already a widely used EPR solution in other NHS trusts, including at University Hospitals Leicester NHS trust and other trusts in the Midlands, allowing staff who work on a rotational basis across other trusts to use a familiar system.

Dr Jon Cort, chief digital officer at CRH, added: “This is a really exciting time of great change across the two acute Trusts in Derbyshire. Our patients and colleagues will be able to benefit from real improvements by embracing this huge step forward, harnessing technology and looking to, what is now, a brighter future.”