As Scotland’s health and care system faces rising demand, workforce pressures and growing expectations from patients, digital transformation is no longer optional, it is a fundamental principle. However, as digital programmes mature, the challenge is no longer simply about deployment or scale. Increasingly, it is about how consistently systems are adopted, how usable they are for clinicians, and how effectively they enable joined-up care across organisational boundaries.
I’ve explored how digital health and care records can act as a catalyst for more connected, proactive and personalised care, aligning with the Scottish Government’s ambition to improve people’s care and wellbeing by making best use of digital technologies.
Seamless care underpinned with a single source of truth
Unified health and care records are critical enablers to provide health and care professionals with a single, trusted view of an individual’s information to improve care. Consolidating records to provide seamless care is only possible with robust interoperability, secure data sharing and scalable digital platforms to drive improved decision-making, enhanced patient safety and reduced administrative burden on stretched clinical teams.
However, variation in local configuration, interoperability gaps between systems, and reliance on manual workarounds undermine this ambition, adding to clinician burden rather than reducing it. Addressing this requires platforms that not only connect data, but do so consistently across boards, integrating seamlessly with GP systems, social care and national platforms to minimise duplication and support joined-up workflows.
Advocating phased adoption models
Rather than opting for traditional EPR deployment routes that can take a decade, alternative models can empower NHS organisations to go live in months, lay robust digital foundations quickly and rapidly deliver measurable benefits. Altera can evidence several examples of modular and scalable EPR deployment approaches in action across the NHS today that are tackling one of the NHS’s most critical challenges – joining up care.
Crucially, phased adoption supports higher levels of clinician engagement and adoption by enabling teams to shape workflows around how care is actually delivered, rather than forcing practice to conform to technology. This flexibility allows organisations to focus on high-impact areas first, delivering early benefits for clinicians and patients while maintaining long-term strategic alignment.
Innovation is most successful when organisations can evolve at their own pace, maintaining local autonomy while still aligning to national ambitions and standards. A modular architecture allows health boards and trusts to introduce new capabilities gradually, building on what already works rather than being forced into wholesale change. That way, teams can work to optimise clinical workflow, enhance patient engagement tools and improve data interoperability without disrupting broader operations.
Fast tracked EPR innovation and interoperability at Gloucestershire Hospitals
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust successfully implemented several components of Altera’s Sunrise EPR in just six months, leveraging the solution’s flexibility and configurability to meet its unique clinical and operational needs.
The trust’s leaders opted to wrap the EPR system around the existing Patient Administration System, a strategic decision that enabled rapid deployment while minimising disruption to clinical services. This phased approach allowed the trust to quickly realise the benefits of the new EPR system, with significant improvements already evident in clinical decision-making, patient safety, and operational efficiency. Key factors for the trust selecting Sunrise were attributed to its integration capabilities with legacy applications and use of open standards and APIs to support information sharing between clinical systems.
Breaking down organisational boundaries at Bolton
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust successfully extended their use of Altera Sunrise EPR to its community services and outpatient departments, revolutionising care beyond the hospital. This digital transformation has enabled seamless integration of patient records across acute and community settings, enhancing care coordination, safety, and efficiency.
Breaking down barriers between care settings has been transformative for patient care in the region. Clinicians have seamless access to hospital information, facilitating better communication and enabling teams to support more patients at home.
Supporting the development of proactive and preventative health and care
Strong digital foundations, such as EPRs, help drive more proactive, preventative and personalised care. They pave the way for wider innovation and enable NHS organisations to evolve their digital capabilities in close collaboration with clinicians and care professionals, thanks to user-centred functionality that priorities their needs and expertise. These foundations also enable scalable and consistent patient-facing access, supporting portals, apps and consent models that can be adopted at pace and aligned across health boards, rather than developed in isolation.
Building secure, safe, and interoperable digital foundations with a high ceiling of capability across health and social care services is critical to sustaining momentum and increasing digital maturity.
Unlock optimisation potential sooner
Accelerating digital transformation with a phased approach can free up capacity to explore optimisation opportunities sooner, such as enhancing user experience and driving deeper clinical innovation. At health board, regional or national level data analytics can be leveraged to unlock deeper insights for population health management and better outcomes.
Conclusion
Digital maturity and innovation are not a destination but a continuous journey. Whether health boards are laying digital foundations or seeking to optimise existing systems, progress depends on technology that remains flexible, usable and open to change, enabling clinicians, empowering patients and supporting national ambitions without sacrificing local needs.
Every health board, regardless of its current digital maturity, should have access to tools and support that enable it to move forward confidently and at pace to build a connected and capable health and care future for Scotland.
For more information please visit: Altera Digital Health Supporting NHS Scotland
By Mark Hutchinson, Executive Vice President, Altera Digital Health (UK & EMEA)