Robin Snead, chief digital officer at South Warwickshire College NHS Basis Belief and George Eliot Hospital NHS Belief (Credit score: GEH)
Delays to a joint digital affected person report (EPR) programme at South Warwickshire College NHS Basis Belief and George Eliot Hospital NHS Belief might value round £1 million a month.
The 18-month Oracle EPR programme, which started in Might 2025, has fallen behind within the ‘localisation section’, during which the core system and its workflows are tailor-made to satisfy the precise wants of the belief.
A board paper, revealed in October 2025, says that the programme has “very restricted contingency time” with delays estimated to value £1m per 30 days.
“Ought to we not meet the October 2026 goal go-live, the trusts would battle to take the EPR reside past November 2025, which might see as much as six months of delay,” the board paper provides.
The trusts have been operating periods to overview the present EPR system and workflows to evaluate the impression on belief processes, in addition to potential scientific and operational dangers.
Nevertheless, the boards mentioned that these are not on time and susceptible to delaying the general timeline, partially as a result of challenges in releasing employees from operational duties to attend the periods.
Additionally the trusts mentioned that that they had obtained “restricted assist” from College Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Belief (UHCW), which went reside with an Oracle EPR in June 2024.
It provides that UHCW’s assist is “important as a result of their experience with the one occasion Oracle Well being EPR platform”.
“UHCW have been engaged on the dangers to the programme as a result of their lack of assist and an escalation has taken place with their chief digital info officer.
“The connection with UHCW stays good and we’re working in partnership to mitigate points and prioritise use of their sources,” the board paper says.
It provides that NHS England has been knowledgeable in regards to the “important monetary impression of any delay”.
In response, a spokesperson for UHCW advised Digital Well being Information: “UHCW continues to ship its assist to George Eliot Hospital and South Warwickshire College NHS Basis Belief on their EPR programme, which can have a major impression on our sufferers and improve our means to ship extra seamless, joined-up care.”
Robin Snead, chief digital officer at SWFT and GEH, advised Digital Well being Information: “The EPR implementation is progressing as deliberate and can allow improved, environment friendly and safer look after sufferers.
“We proceed to work collaboratively with all companions concerned on this joint venture.”
The boards of SWFT and GEH reported that there are ongoing discussions round utilizing NHS tiger groups to assist mitigate programme dangers throughout work streams akin to transformation, information migrations and reporting.
NHS England awarded a tiger groups contract price £13.3 million to consultancy agency KPMG to assist trusts unlikely to satisfy the March 2026 EPR goal underneath the frontline digitisation programme.
In the meantime, Sheffield Instructing Hospitals NHS Basis Belief and Airedale NHS Basis Belief each confronted delays to their Oracle EPR programmes which led their deliberate go-live dates being postponed.
Digital Well being Information contacted Oracle for remark.
