What will change for a health care support worker when the EPR is here?
Olugbenga Odole is a Bank Health Care Support worker at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and his day involves working with a mixture of paper notes and digital systems.
“At the start of every shift, I collect a paper handover sheet that summarises the patients I’ll be caring for. As an HCA, I can be responsible for two bays - around 12 patients - and a couple of side rooms. Throughout the day I’m supporting patients with their personal care, meals and mobility while also keeping on top of a range of different clinical observations.
Some of these observations - like vital signs - are entered digitally on WebV Obs using an iPad. But many others are still on paper:
- skin and pressure area checks
- food, fluid and stool charts
- and several ward specific documents depending on the specialty
That means a lot of forms to fill in and boxes to tick across different bits of paper.
And because the patient folders aren’t always put back in the right place, we can spend valuable time trying to track them down.
The Electronic Patient Record will bring all these paper charts together into one single, easy to-use digital system.
“For me, that’s going to be best in class practice - no more searching for sheets or chasing missing notes. Everything I need will be right there in real time in my hand.
The EPR will replace the current patient buff notes with a complete digital patient record, giving me instant access to the most up-to-date information about the people I’m supporting. I’ll be able to spot trends or changes in their condition much more quickly and clearly.
Importantly, it removes the risk of missing or misplaced patient folders, which makes a real difference for safety and continuity of care.
And with less time spent on paperwork and searching for notes, I’ll have more time at the bedside, focusing on what matters most - providing high-quality, compassionate care for every patient, in line with the Trust’s vision.”