Achieving clinical benefits at a lower risk

WWL wasn’t just searching for a new EPR it also had to replace a system that
it had used for a decade. The technology did not have noting capabilities and
served more as a repository for letters and results. The organisation also had an existing patient administration system (PAS) that was serviceable and stable.

“From our point of view the question was straightforward: How do you
generate the greatest clinical benefit from the least time and money?” Farrier
said. “PAS replacement would have been a lot of work and a lot of risk, with no clinical benefits…Altera Sunrise gave us obvious clinical benefits.”

WWL knew that Sunrise had a proven track record in other NHS Trusts, and
Farrier recalled: “The fact that Altera Sunrise was thriving in other places was
very reassuring.”

WWL opted to leave their existing PAS in place and pursue a clinical wrap
strategy—a robust Altera Sunrise clinical platform would integrate with
existing clinical and financial systems. The organisation went live with a bigbang approach. In June of 2016, WWL launched Altera Sunrise at the same
time across five sites: Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wrightington Hospital,
Leigh Infirmary, Thomas Linacre Centre and Boston House.

“With an agile implementation, we were learning about how people are using
the system and changing accordingly,” Farrier said. “In the early days, we
worried about data input, but now we are focused on data output and helping users quickly access the information.”

Solving challenges for clinicians

The Altera Sunrise Acute Care platform provided a robust clinical system,
with capabilities such as clinical documentation, order communications and
electronic patient medication administration (EPMA).

“Altera Sunrise makes change happen and enables us to work in a different
way,” Farrier said. “I’m able to see what is happening in the wards without
being physically there. I don’t need to get notes to see what’s happened with
a patient, I can bring them up wherever I am. Altera Sunrise has solved a
sequence of problems, making us more efficient.”

WWL conducts periodic feedback sessions with clinical users to help ensure
that Sunrise Acute Care evolves to meet their needs. However, based on some of WWL’s implementation experiences, Farrier advised that it’s important to maintain simplicity and rely on proven, standard content.

“People say they want a lot of complicated things, but it’s best to deploy it in
its simplest form and build out from there,” Farrier said.

“Altera Sunrise is a beautifully simple, ready-made system. It’s everything you need, and nothing you don’t.”

Dr. Martin Farrier
Clinical Information Officer

Focused on the future

When asked about WWL’s plans for Altera Sunrise Acute Care over the next
few years, Farrier responded, “We have endless plans…We intend to build on
the benefits we’ve seen and expect major benefits down the line.”

For example, the Trust is implementing Altera Sunrise Patient Flow system
for better bed management and proper data analysis. WWL also expects
to improve quality of care by identifying and triggering appropriate clinical
pathways for patients with specific conditions, such as sepsis and pneumonia.
“Altera Sunrise helps us make WWL a safer and better-run organisation,” said
Farrier.

Beyond its continued efforts to remove paper-based systems, WWL expects
to build more connections to share data with other organisations and GPs.
“We want to share with other hospitals and GPs, inside and outside of our
locality, as well as helping patients access their own records,” Farrier said.

“How do you generate the greatest clinical benefit from the least time and money? PAS replacement would have been a lot of work and a lot of risk, with no clinical benefits…Altera Sunrise gave us obvious clinical benefits.”

Dr. Martin Farrier
Clinical Information Officer