A STATE-of-the-art electronic system will see prescriptions for hospital patients in Swindon organised electronically, speeding up the treatment process.

In-patients at the Great Western Hospital (GWH) will now receive medication electronically after the introduction of a new system.

The Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) system means medication is now prescribed electronically through portable computers, and is set to benefit 22 wards and various other inpatient areas.

The GWH NHS Foundation Trust secured funding last year from NHS England’s Safer Hospitals, Safer Wards Technology Fund to support the new system, which replaces handwritten charts and allows better communication between staff.

Tom Keith-Welsh, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s EPMA project manager, said the system would improve treatment for patients.

“It is fantastic for patients that we have EPMA live at Great Western Hospital as it enhances the safe and effective care they currently receive," he said.

“It is an excellent and easy-to-use tool for staff, many of whom have been involved in the moulding of the system to suit our ways of working.

“When a prescription is made using the system, it checks many criteria automatically, including whether two drugs should be used together safely, whether the patient is allergic to the medicine and if there are any other clinical concerns.

“It has programmed into it all the required information about a patient and their medications and it helps nurses know when to dispense drugs.”

The EPMA was developed by a range of staff including a dedicated project team, nurses and clinicians, to suit the hospital’s needs.

The system enables staff to have real-time access on portable computers at a patient’s bedside or elsewhere to legible and accurate information about patients’ medication and medical history.

It helps improve patient safety by giving staff access to automatic warnings about allergic reactions, drug interactions and prescribing guidelines.

EPMA also improves patient discharge timings and the flow of patients from the Emergency Department.

It builds on the hospital’s prescription system for out-patients, where patient information is sent electronically to the pharmacy.