HTN Trust Region Series: East of England
Hertfordshire Community NHS TrustHertfordshire Community NHS Trust has introduced its plan for strategic change for 2026-2028, looking to improve productivity and efficiency by redesigning care models and processes, introducing digital innovations and data-driven decision-making, and releasing time for direct patient care. The trust outlines plans to use an Ambient Scribe to reduce admin burden, to automate manual and repetitive tasks to realise efficiencies, and to enhance the functionality of SystmOne to use the system more efficiently and “to greater effect”. Also noted is the ambition to implement eRS primary care referral route and automation to streamline the referral in process for primary care, and the re-procurement of an internet/intranet provider.Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation TrustIn its latest clinical strategy for 2026-2031, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust commits to leveraging digital tools and technologies to support care and self-care, improve engagement with patients, promote data-driven decision-making, and reduce administrative burden. The trust hopes to work with partners to reduce duplication and add efficiency, sharing digital solutions where possible, and integrating digital and AI solutions into everyday clinical practice. A patient portal will be developed to allow access to functionality such as appointment booking, access to health records, and “waiting well” or self-help tools. Ambient Voice Technology will be implemented to support documentation and workflows, the Electronic Prescription Service will be launched, automation of pathology will be improved, IT infrastructure will be strengthened, and digital platforms will be used to capture, analyse, and share data to inform clinical decision-making and population health planning.East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS TrustAn annual safeguarding report from East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust has highlighted the role of digital in adult and children’s safeguarding, including the full digitalisation of s42 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and the successful launch of a maternity EPR. Digital priorities are to create an effective method for raising safeguarding and information sharing requests, improve datasets and oversight, digitise internal adult safeguarding referral and case management mechanisms through the trust’s ENHance software, and digitise the internal process for DoLS applications. The safeguarding team will be collaborating with the ORBIS implementation team to “ensure software at launch is fit for safeguarding purposes”. Digital solutions will also be reviewed to improve recording and oversight of staff safeguarding supervision, and enhance access to training.West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustWest Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has highlighted digital progress and outlined future priorities, focusing on EPR optimisation, establishing a shared digital workspace, embracing AI, and enabling a digital front door. Progress continues to be made on its EPR optimisation programme, the trust shares, with some of the latest developments including improvements to handover documentation, the launch of CDS iRefer in community and acute settings, and the broader rollout of Alertive. Smart Zone functionality has been introduced to reduce alert fatigue by prioritising the most important alerts. An electronic prescribing system is also now live in its virtual hospital and outpatients.Looking ahead, the board is to explore moving from a shared EPR environment to a standalone environment, it states, which is focused on the future development needs of neighbourhood care and hospital redevelopment. “The committee approved the direction of travel giving authority to begin negotiations with relevant parties to develop a robust business case for a potential EPR transition, should that be the preferred option,” it continues. Plans are underway to recruit a CNIO to help strengthen digital adoption impacting nursing across the trust.Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has shared progress toward its aim of becoming “the most innovation-friendly trust in the country”, highlighting work around ambient AI, its digital front door, and eHospital. An AI steering group has been created, according to CUH, and a trust-wide AI policy has been published along with evaluation frameworks and usage guidelines. CUH is reportedly continuing to lead on the integration of the NHS App with the Epic MyChart patient portal, and work is ongoing with partners to use OPTICA, part of the Federated Data Platform, to support complex discharge.Progress continues to be made around CUH’s command centre, with pilot wards having gone paperless with digital ward boards in July, and the Transfer Centre going live this month. An ambient voice pilot is underway looking at improving documentation, clinical productivity, and patient experience. Microsoft Copilot licences have also been allocated to targeted staff groups, with plans to evaluate impact in terms of efficiency gains in administrative workflows. Another area of focus for digital and eHospital has been on ensuring contracts are in place for critical tech such as CUH’s EPR and outsourced IT support. Access to the Cambridge and Peterborough Shared Care Record was enabled earlier this year, and the trust’s digital teams are reportedly working to ensure information from CUH is available within the solution.Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustEssex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s board has discussed its EPR programme amidst reported delays to phase two and outstanding work on future state validation, with a revised timeline for the action given as June 2026. “The NOVA programme is progressing, but new risks – linked to system integration and programme complexity – are likely to delay the EPR go-live date,” the trust states. “Oracle Health has confirmed no additional costs, though extra resourcing will be needed and is being reviewed with finance.”EPUT also updates on its Hospital at Home service in West Essex, which provided over 1,750 patients with care at home in 2025 using a combination of home visits, phone calls, and remote monitoring technology. According to the trust, the service’s work with people who have been discharged from hospital has meant that on average, patients can leave hospital two days earlier than planned. The service is also helping to reduce avoidable admissions from those living with frailty.East of England Ambulance Service NHS TrustInnovation and investments in digital, tech, and data are planned to improve patient outcomes as part of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s strategy for 2025-2030. Broken down into four parts, the trust’s strategy focuses on delivering better care for patients, supporting its workforce to deliver “the best care they can every day”, working with partners to get patients to the best care first time, and building a sustainable service model responsive to patient needs. As part of the development work on the new strategy, the trust reports having undertaken a “full review” of policies, performance, and health data, intended to produce insights into the nature of services delivered and evidence of increasing complexity as a result of an ageing population.Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustIn its latest meeting, the board of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust highlighted the need to make a decision on whether to reprocure its main EPR or move to an alternative solution in the “near future”, with a deep dive session on digital strategy and EPR options planned for a future session. Scanning has been completed of all historic paper patient records, with the remaining records to be scanned by the end of Summer 2026. An outcomes platform to capture outpatient outcomes at the point of care has also gone live, and electronic case noting has been implemented which has reportedly contributed to a “visible” reduction in the amount of paper on wards. A contract has been signed with a patient engagement portal provider to support digital communication and engagement with patients. The trust moves on to share plans to undertake an options appraisal, clinical engagement, and consideration of cost and implementation risk for its forthcoming EPR decision.Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustHertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s five-year integrated plan for 2026-2031 has been published, sharing details of the trust’s aims to rollout Power BI, develop single front door integration with the NHS App, and replace its EPR. By 2031, it hopes to reduce avoidable admissions, reduce inequalities, and promote digital-first and data-enabled services with integrated systems, modern analytics, and AI-supported care. The Federated Data Platform will be deployed as the trust’s data and analytics platform in support of population health management, the Single Patient Record will support care professionals in accessing the information required to support service users, and investment will be made in workforce digital skills. The end of the current EPR contract in March 2030 will be used as “an opportunity to reflect the changing digital and national requirements”, it goes on, “with a view to procure and implement a new EPR safely and smoothly”. Ambient scribes will save time for clinicians, AI assistants will improve productivity for the workforce, AI-powered digital assistances will support service users, AI-based digital therapeutic tools will form part of clinical pathways by default, and AI data and analytics solutions will improve HPFT’s ability to understand the changing needs of its populations.
