Oxford Health Joins South London and Maudsley in Choosing Better to Revolutionise e-Prescribing

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is the second UK global digital exemplar which provides mental health services to choose Better Meds, and CGI as an implementation partner. This is the result of an initiative to develop a procurement framework for open systems and platform technologies that was led by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, where Better Meds is also currently being deployed.  

Oxford Health will integrate the system with its existing electronic patient record. It has also made the decision to implement the Better Clinical Portal and the Better Allergies Module, so clinicians can more easily access information about their patients and maximise the use of this data. To support its digital transformation and the creation of a digitally enabled workforce, the Trust will be enrolled in the Better Innovation Programme to explore, learn, and test new digital services for adult mental health.  

Alison Corfield, head of clinical systems in Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very excited to start our ePMA journey and to be working together with our trust colleagues, Better and CGI, towards delivering benefits for patients and staff.” 

Clinical staff were closely involved in the procurement process that led to choosing Better Meds, and reported that the system was user friendly, logical, and had good patient alert functionalities.  

Matt Cox, managing director of Better in the UK and Ireland, said: “We are really pleased to be working with Oxford Health on e-prescribing and medication administration. Oxford is a forward-thinking and innovative Trust which is now looking to further their digitalisation, and we are very pleased to be supporting them in this journey.” 

Oxford Health is planning to pilot the ePMA solution on an inpatient mental health ward, and to evaluate the results before rolling the system out across the Trust. Once complete, the system will enable staff to electronically prescribe and order medication, access knowledge and decision support, and will be backed by a complete audit trail. Ultimately, it will replace all hand-written prescriptions and drug charts.  

Donna Kelly, Senior Vice President for South and Midlands at CGI in the UK, said “The ePMA solution will aid the Trust in providing a more consistent service, which will offer patients an even higher quality of care. We are proud to be able to support Oxford Health NHS Foundation trust with their implementation, and we look forward to building a strong strategic partnership, bringing our delivery expertise from working across the NHS." 

Oxford Health provides physical, mental health, and social care for people across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon in Wiltshire, and Bath in North East Somerset. It employs 6,000 people and provides a wide range of services for children, youth, adults and the elderly, working ‘close to home’ wherever possible. It is also a teaching, training, and research Trust that works closely with local universities, enabling patients and service users to benefit rapidly from the latest advances in healthcare.