The new year is well underway, albeit still new, and as we steady ourselves into pace having just come out of the 2018 starting blocks, I want to take a moment to recall how well we did in 2017. Working together with our clients and our brilliant Cerner associates we have made the final results more satisfying.

An example of a challenge: In January last year, NHS England released advanced notice of a new emergency care data set (ECDS) that needed to be live by October 2017. This required a true team effort between Cerner associates and many Trusts and we got there – on time!

Wirral University Teaching Hospital went live with Cerner Oncology, a first of type in the UK! The solutions gave the Trust complete control over prescribing, clinical documentation, pharmacy verification, administration and discharge of haematology patients. Blood cancer patients are now receiving the very best care at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, supported by pioneering Cerner technology in the UK.

Another major highlight of 2017 was Kingston Hospital ascending to HIMSS EMRAM Stage 6. This is a truly fantastic achievement for everyone at the Trust and all the associates that have collaborated with them to get there. We are all extremely proud of the fact that out of the four UK Trusts at that HIMSS 6 level, three of them are Cerner clients.

Let’s not forget the great progress in Ireland. The journey to a paperless healthcare system has continued, with two more hospitals going live with our Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS). It is both heart-warming and immensely satisfying that together with the HSE and local teams, we are helping mums and newborns have the best possible birth and start in life.

Some other 2017 highlights!

• Calderdale and Huddersfield went live with multiple solutions across multiple sites on a shared domain with Bradford, who followed five months later.
• Royal Berkshire was awarded GDE fast follower status, working alongside Oxford University Hospitals.
• Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust and Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust went live with our Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS).
• SASH implemented Child Protection Information Sharing (CPIS) solutions.
• Rotunda Hospital was the third Irish site to go live with MN-CMS.

It’s amazing what we can do in partnership! There can be no doubt that we are contributing to better health outcomes, better clinician and patient experiences and, I’ll be bold, more affordable healthcare. Here’s to an even better 2018... I must say it… #Together!

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