Driving Digital Transformation: Posterity Global Supports UHSx EPR Implementation

Date: 2023-2024  

HM Treasury allocated £2 billion in funding to Integrated Care Boards and NHS Trusts to achieve NHS Minimum Digital Foundations (MDF), including the implementation of Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems, by March 2025, and to support over 500,000 people in using digital tools for managing their long-term health conditions at home.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSx) needed to procure and deploy a modular 'best of breed' EPR solution to meet MDF requirements as part of the NHS England (NHSE) Frontline Digitisation programme and deliver its True North strategic priorities. The Trust aimed to implement a modular EPR that would integrate with existing applications to handle all aspects of patient care, safety, and flow, including a single clinical portal, e-noting, e-observations, care planning, clinical collaboration, orders and results, patient administration, contact management, and remote monitoring. UHSx had already conducted soft market testing, identifying potential modular EPR solution providers and relevant framework agreements.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSx) commissioned Posterity Global to support the procurement and deployment of a modular ‘best of breed’ EPR solution. Following our appointment, initial discussions with UHSx revealed an opportunity to enhance their preparations by conducting more extensive early market engagements. Posterity Global was tasked with supporting the EPR programme team in developing a robust Outcomes Based Specification (OBS), Outline Business Case (OBC), and a comprehensive procurement approach.

These engagements would also serve to inform the market of UHSx's preferred approach and timeline for its EPR solution procurement, and enable potential providers to seek clarification from UHSx. Parallel discussions were underway to determine the most suitable routes to market, including the London Procurement Partnership (LPP) ‘Clinical Digital Solutions’ (CDS) framework agreement and NHSE’s Health Systems Support Framework (HSSF) agreement. Posterity Global proposed a phased engagement strategy, beginning with broad outreach and progressively narrowing to more focused interactions, adhering to the principles of transparency and equal treatment mandated by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

We collaborated closely with UHSx's EPR programme, corporate procurement, and communications teams to execute this strategy. Our actions included:

• Organising and promoting a widely publicised webinar for EPR solution providers available through the LPP CDS framework and NHSE HSSF agreements.
• Following approval to utilise the LPP CDS framework as the preferred route to market, planning and conducting one-to-one sessions with relevant EPR solution providers.
• Developing a compelling narrative that emphasized the strategic importance of the EPR solution procurement as a key component of UHSx's business and clinical transformation programme, the value of establishing a long-term partnership built on effective ongoing engagement, and the need for an enabling contract that maximises opportunities for innovation and continuous evolution through a collaborative approach.
• Synthesising and anonymising feedback from the one-to-one sessions and presenting these findings to senior EPR programme stakeholders.
• Sharing the synthesised and anonymised analysis with EPR solution providers.
• Conducting a further round of written Requests for Information (RFIs) on specific technical and enterprise architecture aspects to refine the OBS.
• We also provided regular updates on the early market engagement progress to UHSx's internal governance bodies and maintained close communication with the NHSE Frontline Digitisation programme’s commercial team. This ensured that all stakeholders were informed of developments and had ongoing opportunities to shape the approach.

The series of progressive early market engagements, recommended and supported by Posterity Global, significantly benefited UHSx's OBS, OBC, Invitation to Tender (ITT), and overall procurement strategy. These efforts have advanced UHSx's preparations for the NHSE EPR Investment Board approval stage, positioning them to proceed with procurement later in 2024. The approach has also informed subsequent tactical market engagements by UHSx on specific elements of the OBS as it has evolved.

Through this proactive and collaborative approach, UHSx joins a growing number of public sector organisations recognising the importance and advantages of conducting open, constructive, and early engagement with the market prior to commencing formal procurement activities.

Let’s Build Better Procurement, Together

At Posterity Global, we work with public sector leaders who want procurement to be strategic, future-ready, and drive social value for money.

To hear more about our insights and how we could help you deliver, please get in touch

hello@posterity.global