DIGITAL transformation is gathering pace in North Wales after Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) selected a technology partner to introduce a “game-changing” electronic prescribing system in its hospitals.

The new electronic prescribing and medicines administration system (ePMA), will be rolled out to more than 40 hospitals via suppliers Better.

It will replace paper-driven processes with a digitised system that will streamline prescribing in every ward and improve patient care. 

The system will reduce the risk of medication errors by ensuring prescriptions are clear, legible, and complete, with built-in safety checks for allergies, drug interactions, and dosage accuracy. 

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It will also allow for seamless communication between different departments and healthcare professionals, ensuring that medication information is accurate and up-to-date at all times. 

The project is supported by a £6.7million investment across NHS Wales from Welsh Government.

Lesley Jones, Digital Health and Care Wales programme oversight chair for ePMA, said: “These are exciting times, and a milestone for the people and clinical communities of North Wales.

“As a hospital nurse for many years, I know that ePMA will revolutionise prescribing processes and is a real game-changer.

“In simple terms, ePMA will replace the paper drug charts which are currently kept at patient bedsides, enabling safer prescribing and administration of medicines.

“It allows doctors, nurses and pharmacists to prescribe using a digital device, which has so many advantages, reducing medication errors and removing the risk of transcribing errors or handwriting that is difficult to decipher.”

The ePMA project will see colleagues from pharmacy, nursing, digital and clinical backgrounds collaborate to deliver the system, which also supports BCUHB’s sustainability objectives by reducing paper use.  

Mandy Jones, deputy executive director of nursing and senior responsible officer at BCUHB, addeed: “This is the first stage in our electronic health record strategy.   

"The ePMA work will transform services across our hospitals to streamline processes for the benefit of patients and staff.   

"The important part of this work has been the collaboration with clinicians, nurses, and pharmacy staff who have engaged with users across many of our services to get their input into how this is going to work.

“So, it’s being co-designed by the people doing the work.”

BCUHB is the largest health board in Wales, serving more than 700,000 people, and the second to choose its preferred supplier from an agreed framework.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board selected its ePMA technology partner in March.