Airedale sets go-live date for EPR following delay

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has set a new date for the go-live of its electronic patient record (EPR) system following multiple delays.

The Millennium EPR from Oracle Health was initially scheduled to be deployed at the trust in September 2024, but the date was pushed back until November 2024 to allow further testing to ensure the system’s safety and efficiency.

The go-live was postponed again in November 2024, with no new date scheduled, and Airedale told Digital Health News that it had appointed professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to help deliver the delayed EPR.

A trust board paper, published on 14 January 2026, confirmed that a new go-live date of 19 October 2026 has been agreed with Oracle Health and system partners.

“Work continues on progressing towards our electronic patient record (EPR) in line with the revised timescale between the trust leads and programme partners.

“This is a significant digital transformation for Airedale that shall bring material benefits to patients and staff for the long term,” the board paper says.

A report from the Airedale finance performance and digital committee notes: “There is a risk that a delay in the electronic patient record go-live will have operational, financial, delayed benefits realisation (financial, quality and safety), reputational impact and reduce the organisation’s ability to reach its digital maturity aspirations.”

Leanne Cooper, chief operating officer and senior responsible officer for the EPR programme at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said in the board meeting: “The current EPR programme status has improved from red to amber overall. Key risk relates to funding from NHSE Frontline Digitisation beyond 2025/26.

“Funding discussions continue with NHSE FLD who are seeking to support the delivery of the programme.”

The frontline digitisation programme was launched by NHS England and the government in 2021 with the goal of helping all trusts reach a minimum level of digital maturity and have an EPR in place by March 2026.

The board paper states that given the EPR delayed go-live from November 2024 and likely deferred EPR go-live, “there will be additional capital and revenue pressures vs the EPR business case of £6.4m and £3.1m respectively in 2025/26, with internal operational capital funding restricted to £4m for EPR”.

It adds that: “NHSE FD have been asked to fund 50% of the £6.4m and therefore £3.2m and this funding request is still outstanding.”

Cooper told Digital Health News: “Our EPR programme remains a priority for the trust, to ensure that we move forward with our digital ambition to give our patients the best possible care.

“In November 2024 we paused the EPR go-live, because we felt that we were not ready, as an organisation, to take that step.

“Since then, the trust’s EPR programme team has continued to build on the work done previously to maintain the momentum and to plan in the work that needs to take place.

“Part of this work included discussions with programme partners to establish a suitable go-live date and, as a result, we will be cutting over to the new system in mid-October 2026.”