NHS delays launch of major £88m IT project

The NHS has pushed back the launch date of an £88m overhaul to its IT systems because of delays.

The electronic patient record (EPR) for Norfolk's three acute hospitals will not go live in March as originally planned.

The programme had been described by local trust bosses as the most transformative work undertaken at the sites in the past 20 years and as a "massive change".

Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group digital officer, Dr Ed Prosser-Snelling, blamed the delay on "initially adapting an American system for the NHS" and other pressures on the trust.

He also cited the "sensitivity" of the 2024 general election as a reason for the delay.

The EPR is using software called Expanse which is supplied by a company called Meditech, and the overall cost of the programme has been put at £88m.

According to the government's procurement database, Meditech signed 10-year contracts for the hospitals, running until 2034.

Prosser-Snelling said the project had undergone a "reset and replanning exercise" to ensure the new system could be delivered safely.

He pointed to disruption at other NHS trusts where the implementation of a new EPR had worsened waiting times and A&E performance.

"The programme team has been carefully evaluating national evidence around patient safety incidents at EPR 'go-lives'," he told the BBC.

"The programme will need to continue in some form in order to replace outdated clinical systems across the trusts."

He continued: "The March go-live date will not now be achieved, and we are working with national stakeholders to agree the duration of an extension to catch up the time lost at the beginning of the programme of work."

According to papers presented to the hospital group's board, the new system promised to "revolutionise" the delivery of healthcare across the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, the James Paget in Gorleston and the Queen Elizabeth in King's Lynn.

It would replace different systems and bring together a wide range of clinical and administrative functions under a single software package, replacing paper-based records.

The go-live date was initially due to be in 2025.

Records show that millions of pounds has already been spent on the project.

The leadership of the three Norfolk acute hospitals merged in May 2025 to improve efficiency, standardise care and tackle financial pressures.

The first meeting of the group board in December disclosed "significant" risks around the EPR project in relation to its delivery timetable and financial situation.

Directors were also asked to consider the viability of the project.

The hospitals in Norfolk were seen as lagging behind other trusts in England in terms of their digital implementation.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the NHS must move from the "analogue to digital age" to increase productivity and improve patient care.

He has committed to "tech and data-driven reform" through a new 10-year health plan.

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