Four NHS trusts in Dorset and Somerset have signed a £222 million contract with Epic to implement a unified electronic patient record (EPR) system across the region.

The joint EPR, called Healthset, is planned to go live across Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, and Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust in April 2028

It will replace current IT systems, including EPRs, patient administration systems, and several specialty systems to join up healthcare record across acute organisations, community and mental health services.

Beverley Bryant, chief digital officer at Dorset Providers and senior responsible officer (SRO), said: “We are truly excited about the future, and the benefits that Epic will bring to patients in Dorset and Somerset, some of whom receive care in both counties.

“The solution put forward by Epic has been chosen as the best to meet the complex and specialist needs of all four trusts.”

Speaking on the Digital Health Unplugged podcast in January, Bryant discussed Dorset’s digital strategy, which includes the Healthset EPR programme.

“We’re really are keen to achieve our integration ambitions across Dorset. We need to join up our infrastructure.

“We’re looking at our corporate service systems and historically the providers have operated very much within their own organisation and our strategy really looks over the next five years to change all that, so that is massive and extremely exciting,” Bryant said.

She added that the new EPR is planned to have AI embedded within it.

“Ambient voice technology is something that’s really exciting our clinicians, but I need it to provide that full integration.

“It’s no good if it’s just standalone and then someone has to transcribe into the patient record, so I’m looking at it all end-to-end,” Bryant said.

Focus on population health

The ‘Our Dorset Digital Strategy 2026-2030‘, sets out how the unified EPR is planned to enable a growing focus on population health, as data quality, consistency and system-wide adoption mature across neighbourhoods.

David Shannon, director of strategy and digital development at Somerset FT and joint SRO, said: “The clinically led, digitally driven programme will improve clinical quality, patient experience, staff experience, and operational effectiveness in addition to opening new opportunities for research and innovation.”

The contract with Epic began on 13 March 2026 and will run until 11 March 2036, with full implementation planned for April 2028.

Mercedes McCoy, vice president of Epic, said “The trusts across Dorset and Somerset are connecting hospital, community, and mental health services on a single platform.

“We look forward to working alongside their teams to deliver that—giving clinicians a complete view of the patient’s story and giving patients a more active role in managing their own health.”

Meanwhile in January 2025, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust signed a contract with Epic for an EPR, as part of plans to implement a unified EPR across Devon under the One Devon EPR programme.

You can hear from Judy Faulkner, founder and chief executive of Epic, on the Digital Health Unplugged podcast.