NNUH and JPUH to launch electronic prescribing system

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) in collaboration with James Paget University Hospital (JPH) has been successful in a bid for £1.7m from the Department of Health sponsored Safer Hospitals Safer Wards Technology Fund and will be introducing an Electronic Prescribing and Medication Administration system.

With matched funding the project will total £3.5m and will support both hospitals’ quality priorities and will improve patient safety by reducing medication errors, missed doses and improving the quality of prescribing.

Implementation has started with the aim to go live fully at both hospitals by 2016. Once introduced, doctors will be able to record prescriptions electronically and nurses will administer drugs against the electronic record on the wards. There will be advanced decision and support mechanisms available to support clinicians prescribing medicines for patients.

Professor Krishna Sethia, Medical Director of NNUH, said: “E-prescribing is a major step forward in helping clinicians provide the best care and giving patients confidence that they are in the safest possible environment.”

Professor Carol Farrow, Clinical Director of Pharmacy Services at NNUH, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have received this funding and to start implementing e-prescribing. The Pharmacy department will be working very closely with departments to configure the system, link it up with other software packages and provide training.”

Nick Oligbo, Medical Director at the James Paget University Hospital, said: “E-prescribing is something we have been very keen to implement at the James Paget. It is great that we are now able to introduce this system for the benefit of our patients.”