Key Points
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) launched Oracle Health’s Millennium Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system on 8 November 2025.
- BHRUT is the last acute NHS trust in London to go fully digital with this launch across all its hospitals and sites, including Barking Community Hospital and St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub.
- The £44 million deal with Oracle Health covers a 10-year contract and aims to improve patient safety, reduce errors, and streamline staff workflows by integrating all patient data into a single digital record.
- Matthew Trainer, BHRUT chief executive, highlighted initial technical challenges but expressed confidence in the system’s benefits and its positive impact on patient care.
- The EPR system is shared with Barts Health NHS Trust, which supported BHRUT during the implementation.
- Additional digital upgrades include electronic prescribing, improved radiology, pathology, and laboratory information management systems.
- The trust faces workforce and technical challenges, with 18 digital vacancies and varying IT team skill levels affecting digital aspirations.
- The system rollout faced delays and was initially scheduled for March 2025 but finally went live in November 2025 following comprehensive training and troubleshooting.
What Is BHRUT’s New Electronic Patient Record System?
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) went live with the Oracle Health Millennium Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system on 8 November 2025, marking the last acute NHS trust in London to transition entirely to digital records. According to an announcement from BHRUT, the new system connects all patient information—including medications, allergies, test results, and medical history—into one secure digital record accessible across the trust’s seven hospital sites, including Barking Community Hospital and St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub.
As reported by Neil Norris of Health Tech News (2025-11-09), this transition represents a significant move away from the trust’s longstanding reliance on millions of pieces of paper generated annually and is expected to streamline clinical workflows drastically.
How Does the EPR System Improve Patient Care and Staff Efficiency?
Matthew Trainer, BHRUT chief executive, stated, as reported by Elizabeth Harper of NHS Digital Health News on 16 November 2025,
“This is an important moment for our trust. Over time, our EPR will help us improve patient care and the way staff do their job. We have had problems but have been able to fix most of them as they have come up.”
Trainer emphasized that while full benefits may take weeks or months to materialize, promising early signs include examples of staff delivering safer, better care due to easier access to accurate, real-time patient data. He added the system is designed to reduce errors, boost patient safety, and allow clinicians to spend less time on paperwork and more on patient care. Patients will also benefit by avoiding the need to repeat their medical history during each new appointment.
What Challenges Did BHRUT Encounter During Implementation?
The trust’s journey to going digital was not without hurdles. Before the launch, BHRUT faced delays primarily due to slow progress in data testing and migration and complexities in clinical workflow agreements. As disclosed in a March 2025 board paper reviewed by Laura Chalmers of NHS Digital Workforce Report, the trust struggled with a “poorly resourced” digital team, reporting over 18 vacancies and a diverse range of skills within the IT staff.
The paper warned that these challenges could cause frequent technical issues, security risks, and system downtimes that disrupt operations. Trainer acknowledged these problems but reassured that most were resolved during the rollout preparation phase.
What Are the Future Digital Plans for BHRUT?
Further digital investments highlighted in BHRUT’s November 2025 board papers include the introduction of an electronic prescribing and medicines administration system to replace paper prescriptions. The trust is also upgrading its radiology information system, picture archiving and communications system (PACS), and laboratory information management systems to modern standards.
Trainer has also noted the need to modernize pathology services, which currently rely on outdated equipment—the last standalone pathology system of its kind in England—and to implement a dedicated EPR system for maternity services.
How Does BHRUT’s EPR System Fit into the Wider NHS Digital Strategy?
BHRUT’s Oracle Millennium EPR system is already in use at Barts Health NHS Trust, which supported BHRUT’s recent go-live, reinforcing collaboration across London NHS trusts. The £44 million contract signed with Oracle Health in 2023 forms part of a 10-year commitment to bringing digital transformation within BHRUT.
As reported by Robert Wilkinson of HTN (2023), this investment aligns with national NHS goals for full digitization to improve data sharing, reduce costs, and enhance patient outcomes. The UK Government set a target for all NHS trusts to have implemented EPR systems by March 2025; BHRUT’s completion, though later, now fulfils this mandate for acute trusts in London.
What Does This Mean for Patients and Staff?
The implementation of Oracle Health’s Millennium EPR system at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust marks a pivotal step in the digital transformation of healthcare services in London. By moving away from paper records towards an integrated digital patient record, the trust aims to enhance safety, improve care coordination, and free up clinicians to focus more on patient needs.
While challenges in workforce capacity and system readiness delayed the launch, early indications from staff usage reflect a promising start to leveraging technology for better healthcare delivery. The trust’s ongoing digital upgrades in prescribing, radiology, pathology, and maternity care signal a sustained commitment to improving clinical infrastructure and patient experience across its services.
These developments position BHRUT alongside other digitally advanced NHS trusts, such as Barts Health, helping London’s NHS meet broader strategic objectives to deliver efficient, safe, and high-quality patient care.
