Frontline productivity is a critical priority for the NHS, reflecting growing pressure to deliver more care within constrained resources. There is a requirement to deliver 2% annual improvements set out in the 2025 Spending Review[1] not just through investment in technology, but by enabling staff to work more effectively. This marks a shift beyond deploying technology towards ensuring it is embedded, adopted and delivering tangible value for patients, in line with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.
Improving productivity is therefore essential to closing the gap between rising demand, constrained funding and workforce capacity. Supporting the shift from analogue to digital, electronic patient record (EPR) systems play a vital role by capturing and structuring the data that underpins modern healthcare delivery. As a primary source of clinical and operational insight, EPRs are becoming the foundation for more effective, data‑led productivity improvements across the NHS.
With NHS leaders under increasing pressure to drive productivity improvements at scale, there is a need to look more closely at how digital investments, including EPRs, are enabling real operational and clinical impact, such as:
- How does this digital investment reduce frontline burden?
- Does it support workforce sustainability?
- Does it enable integrated, system-wide working?
We know productivity improvements that are designed for clinicians, rather than imposed upon them, are far more likely to be sustainable, safe and scalable. By prioritising the needs of those on the frontline, EPR systems can move beyond being mere record-keeping tools and become powerful engines for efficiency, staff retention and, ultimately, better patient care.
Aligning productivity with workforce priorities
NHS policy increasingly recognises that productivity and workforce retention are inseparable. Excessive admin pressures for clinicians, fragmented systems, and poor digital usability all contribute directly to burnout and attrition. We’ve seen that by using the Altera EPR platform, our clients are reducing friction in clinical workflows and improving frontline productivity associated with:
- Improved patient flow and productivity. Visibility of specific acute medical admission lists at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has improved speed of consultant assessment reducing length of stay by 19%.
- Fewer workarounds and shadow processes. At Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), by digitising the ED mental health referral pathway directly into their EPR, this has replaced paper and ad hoc workarounds with a standardised digital process, cutting referral time by 95% and improving reliability and flow.
- Improved clinician engagement with digital change. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust identified the Sunrise EPR system’s ability to adapt to local clinical workflows as one of its greatest strengths, engaging and empowering clinicians. “For me, the configurability of Altera EPR is one of its biggest benefits. It’s not a one-size-fits-all system that forces you to change how you practice—it works the way you work,” said Marc Tarrant, Digital Matron, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Digital transformation that delivers real productivity
National digital policy emphasises interoperability, shared records and data quality and these ambitions must translate into tangible benefits at the point of care. NHS organisations using Altera solutions report productivity gains where clinicians can:
- Access complete, longitudinal patient records without switching systems. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust extended the use of Sunrise EPR from an acute setting into community services, joining up patient records across care settings to better support care beyond the hospital. A major milestone in enabling connected, integrated care.
- “Moving our end-of-life care to the EPR system has been monumental. Hospice and in-home care teams now have immediate access to unified patient records, facilitating informed decisions and enabling patients to spend their final days where they want, at home.” – Zoe Fitzsimmons, CXIO, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.
- Rely on consistent data across wards, services, and care settings. At WWL, by embedding national clinical guidance into the Sunrise EPR platform, they were able to achieve 100% compliance with Acute Abdomen Pathway documentation standards.
- Complete core clinical tasks more efficiently and safely. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust are now saving 2.5 minutes per observation, equating to 50% time saving for clinicians to record observations, freeing up staff to focus more on patient care.
For leaders, this reinforces an important lesson: digital investment delivers productivity only when it aligns with real clinical workflows.
By Mark Hutchinson, Executive Vice President, Altera Digital Health (UK & EMEA)
References
[1] https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/productivity-plan-update/