Two weeks to Go-Live: encompass is set to transform healthcare across Northern Ireland as Southern and Western Trusts prepare for implementation on 8 May 2025
It is just two weeks until Southern and Western Health and Social Care Trusts prepare to Go-Live with encompass on 8 May 2025. This means that for the first time in history, all Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland will operate on one single digital health record system, encompass.
This key milestone signifies a ground-breaking shift in how healthcare is delivered across the region which has taken years of planning and preparation by the encompass, Epic and Health and Social Care teams.
Dr. Dermot Hughes, the Senior Responsible Owner for encompass, reflecting on the significance of the upcoming implementations, described it as a “momentous occasion for Northern Ireland.”
He explained, “For the first time, all patients in Northern Ireland will have their record for health and social care stored on one single platform. This will be ground-breaking in that the platform covers acute care, community care, mental health, social care and nursing care. By integrating information from multiple legacy systems, it means that patients and clients will receive high quality care, irrespective of the geography.”
Dr. Hughes extended his gratitude to the dedicated staff within the HSC Trusts and the Epic and encompass teams, acknowledging their relentless commitment over the past 6 years in making this vision a reality. He highlighted how this achievement is truly unique within the UK and described how the dedication of teams within Southern and Western Trusts in developing patient pathways on the Epic platform is an investment in the future of healthcare and an investment in patient outcomes.
As Northern Ireland takes the lead in digital healthcare transformation, the implementation of encompass ensures that every patient receiving health and social care services within the region will benefit from a system that prioritises safety, quality and continuity of care.