Sheffield Children’s implements ePMA in paediatric critical care unit

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has gone live with an electronic prescribing and medicine administration (ePMA) system provided by System C in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU).

The CareFlow Medicines Management (CMM) has been configured by the trust to meet the complexities involved in paediatric care, such as addressing the unique medication dosage requirements for children of varying ages and weights. It went live in the PCCU in September 2024.

Karen Bourne, lead ePMA pharmacist at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT, said: “PCCU is a challenging area to implement CMM because of the urgency of medication requirements on the unit.

“By standardising prescriptions, utilising pre-admission functionality and protocols, we are able to reduce risks associated with medication prescribing and administration.

“The implementation also removes the need to transcribe between paper and the electronic system as children are transferred to and from PCCU.”

The team at System C carried out workshops and simulations to engage and support PCCU staff, in preparation for the transition.

Janet Dodd, chief nursing information Officer at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT, said: “Being visible and accessible to users during the implementation has been crucial for our success.

“PCCU staff felt safe during the rollout because they could turn and see a member of the project team ready to help in a bright blue t-shirt.

“A dedicated phone line was also available to staff outside of regular support hours. Superusers familiar with ePMA from other wards also worked alongside their PCCU colleagues to ease the transition.”

Since the implementation of CMM in September 2023 across other areas of the hospital, Sheffield Children’s has seen significant improvements in medicines optimisation.

As of January 2025, over 16,000 patients have received enhanced care with more than 180,000 medicines prescribed through the system.

Nick Wilson, chief executive at System C, said: “Implementing electronic prescribing at Sheffield Children’s is about improving patient safety.

“By reducing paper drug charts, we can provide clinicians with real-time information visible from anywhere at Sheffield Children’s on a patient’s medicines throughout their stay, giving healthcare teams more time to focus on direct care.

“This digital transformation not only improves medicine safety but helps staff to work smarter, creating a more efficient hospital that delivers better care for children.”

The launch in the PCCU is part of Sheffield Children’s NHS FT’s commitment to providing better care to patients and its ongoing digital journey.

Following the rollout, the trust plans to implement the ePMA system in additional areas, such as outpatient departments, and collaborate with System C to expand the critical care functionality to allow paediatric continuous drug infusions.