Making Every Pound Count: Lessons From The EPR Ecosystem

A whitepaper exploring how the NHS can extract greater value from digital investments

As NHS organisations face tightening budgets and rising operational pressures, the question has shifted from “how do we go live with an EPR?” to “how do we maximise value from it?”

Produced by members of the EPR Network, Making Every Pound Count sets out a practical framework of nine drivers for extracting measurable value from the EPR ecosystem, spanning: planning, interoperability, staff and patient empowerment, workflow standardisation, data analytics, legacy system retirement, sustainability, cloud hosting, and benefits realisation.

Drawing on real-world experience from NHS Trusts, technology vendors, and integration and services providers, this whitepaper demonstrates how value must be intentional – designed and continually measured – not left to chance. It highlights how interoperability, legacy system optimisation, and strategic planning can deliver cost efficiency, digital resilience, and long-term sustainability across the health system.

Ultimately, Making Every Pound Count challenges organisations to view digital transformation as an ongoing journey – one that ensures every investment strengthens the foundations for a smarter, greener, and more connected NHS.

Key messages:

• Planning and adaptability for sustainable transformation
• Interoperability and integration to enable connected care
• Staff and patient empowerment to drive adoption
• Workflow standardisation for safer, more efficient care
• Legacy system retirement and benefits realisation for long-term value.

Whitepaper Authors

With thanks to Healthcare Innovation Consortium who authored the whitepaper with contributions from the following EPR Network partners: Altera Digital Health UK & EMEA, BridgeHead Software, CLEO Systems, Dedalus, Integrella, and System C.