First paediatric hospital in Europe awarded HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (Liverpool, UK) was recently awarded EMRAM Stage 7 from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), recognising its use of digital technology to optimise patient care. Alder Hey is the first specialist Trust in the UK and the first paediatric hospital in Europe to earn this distinction. They are also the third trust in the UK to achieve inpatient certification. 

“I’m thrilled at all the brilliant work that our digital and clinical teams have done across the Trust to achieve this accreditation,” said Kate Warriner, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

“It has been quite a journey since our HIMSS 6 assessment. Nobody could have predicted a global pandemic, and the UK was hit hard. At Alder Hey, our previous digital progress had prepared us to respond exceptionally to the pandemic. We rose to the challenge, delivering many services virtually and even taking on adult patients to support our colleagues in the region.”

EMRAM, or the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, measures the adoption and maturity of a health facility’s electronic medical record (EMR) capabilities from 0 to 7, with 7 being the highest level of validation. Alder Hey's successful adoption and high optimisation of clinician documentation, order management, e-prescribing, patient engagement, and population health analytics all contributed to this achievement.

“Over the past 25 years as a MEDITECH customer, Alder Hey has achieved so many goals, from Global Digital Exemplar status to now attaining HIMSS Stage 7 accreditation,” said MEDITECH International CEO Charlotte Jackson. “This industry recognition is a testament to their amazing talent and determination.”

Alder Hey has long been committed to advancing new solutions and collaborative partnerships for improved patient outcomes. Through its world-renowned Innovation Centre, they are working with industry partners on a wide range of emerging technology projects to advance global child health.

“We are delighted to have received this accreditation from HIMSS. It shows Alder Hey’s commitment to improving the lives of children and young people not only in our region, but around the world,” said John Grinnell, Finance Director and Deputy CEO, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

“We look forward to continuing to work with HIMSS, to further enhance our digital offering in the healthcare sector. A huge congratulations to our dedicated digital and clinical teams for all of their hard work in attaining EMRAM Stage 7 accreditation.”

Caring for more than 330,000 children, young people, and families every year, Alder Hey is one of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals. It will be one of the first MEDITECH NHS customers in the UK to leverage the web-based Expanse technology.