Sunderland Royal Hospital Honoured with Prestigious HIMSS Stage 7 Recognition

Congratulations to MEDITECH customer Sunderland Royal Hospital, of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (Sunderland, UK), for earning the prestigious Stage 7 recognition from the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS). To date, it is the only hospital in the North of England to have earned this distinction.  ​

Over the past few decades, Sunderland has optimized MEDITECH’s solutions to emerge as a leading healthcare provider in the UK. “It has been incredibly rewarding to partner with Sunderland Royal Hospital in implementing their digital strategy,” said MEDITECH UK CEO Charlotte Jackson. “The HIMSS Stage 7 achievement positions them in an elite group worldwide that serve as examples of how EPR technology can be transformative and ultimately enhance patient care.” 

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust is known as one of the most digitally advanced organisations in the NHS. In 2016, Sunderland Royal Hospital was one of the first Trusts in the country to be confirmed within the national Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme, helping to share its digital expertise across the NHS.  Since then, South Tyneside District Hospital has also become part of the GDE fast follower programme, and is now already a year ahead of schedule for ‘paper-free’ HIMSS accreditation after adopting the MEDITECH Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in 2019.

The Trust’s EPR ensures that clinical teams from all departments across the multi-site hospital have access to up to date patient information at the touch of a button. Their system also integrates with the Great North Care Record (Health Information Exchange), so patient information is instantly and securely available to other healthcare settings across the North East and North Cumbria. 

Sunderland Royal Hospital’s MEDITECH system also enables a shared laboratory information management system across both South Tyneside District Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, allowing clinical teams in these hospitals to have LIVE access to test results.  

“Embracing technology has long been at the heart of our strategic thinking and a tremendous amount of work has taken place by all of our clinical teams to reach this important milestone for Sunderland Royal Hospital and for the NHS as a whole,” said the Trust’s Director of Information Management and Technology Andy Hart. 

Having joined up highly effective IT systems in the NHS is by no means an easy feat, but it is a fundamental enabler to delivering excellent patient care,” he continues. “There is no doubt that our MEDITECH solution has greatly enhanced patient safety, outcomes and the quality of patient care, as well as improving organisational efficiency.”

Chief Executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Ken Bremner MBE agrees that the time and effort spent on employing advanced EPR technology has been well worth it.  “Make no mistake, this is a major milestone in our digital journey for the Trust and the result of many years’ hard work and commitment at all levels. Our key priority now is making sure our South Tyneside District Hospital site can reach the same Level 7 HIMSS quality standard as soon as possible,” said Bremner.

“We have seen throughout 2020, and the NHS response to the COVID-19 pandemic, just what an important role technology has to play and the great potential it has to improve how we deliver services in a new and modern way in the years ahead.  As a Trust we will now continue to build on this great achievement at Sunderland Royal Hospital and keep pushing the boundaries of innovation even further to extend digital solutions into how we interact and engage with patients on a daily basis.”