Bolton NHS FT rolls out EPR to community services

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has rolled out Altera Digital Health’s Sunrise electronic patient record (EPR) to its community services and outpatient departments. The go live in June 2025 is aimed at supporting care beyond the hospital by joining up patients records across acute and community settings to cover services including sexual health, physiotherapy and paediatric learning disabilities. It will also extend the reach of the trust’s existing medication prescribing solution, and diagnostic orders and results for radiology and pathology. Zoe Fitzsimmons, chief X information officer at Bolton NHS FT, said: “Our community users were especially excited to move away from paper and its associated inefficiencies. “Now they are fully live on Sunrise EPR they have instant access to a patient’s up-to-date electronic record and can document directly into the record as a seamless entry from acute to community. “Users are delighted with the efficiency gains they are making and are enjoying reinvesting the time back into direct care.” Within the first month of the EPR implementation, 17,614 pathology and radiology requests were processed, with early feedback from users noting the system’s ease of use and improvements in workflows and patient care. Fitzsimmons said that the go live was “a significant milestone for Bolton’s digital strategy”. “Access to a single, up-to-date patient record has been transformative for the teams and enabled them to deliver safer, faster and more coordinated care. “It’s a huge step towards a fully connected care experience for the people of Bolton, with more consistent care, regardless of the setting,” she added. Jo Constantine, team leader of the admission avoidance team at Bolton NHS FT, said: “Bringing electronic patient records into our community service has transformed care delivery. “It has empowered our team with real-time information, helping them give faster, safer and more joined up care to people in their own homes.” A significant part of the implementation prior to going live focused on aligning new workflows with complex requirements and medication policies to ensure full compliance across community and outpatient services. Mark Hutchinson, executive vice president at Altera Digital Health (UK and EMEA), said: “The progress at Bolton is a testament to what can be achieved with Altera’s highly configurable and flexible EPR with a clear vision and a robust digital infrastructure. “By extending the EPR across community and outpatients, Bolton has significantly improved care coordination and communication, enhancing both safety and efficiency. “This is a powerful example of how our EPR platform enables continuous care across the entire healthcare setting, breaking down silos and creating a truly unified patient record. “We’re proud to be supporting Bolton as it extends these capabilities and look forward to the next phase that will further enhance care pathways by enabling integration with primary care services.”