Electronic Patient Information Systems
Electronic patient information systems should be developed to enable records of observation and intervention to become immediately accessible to all involved in care.
- The Encompass electronic care record system was rolled out across all five NI HSC Trusts by May 2025 (Encompass Programme, Health and Social Care NI, May 2025).
- All NI citizens now have a digital patient record accessible across HSC organisations.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedElectronic care record and digital health programmes progressing across Northern Ireland.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Encompass electronic care record system rolled out across all 5 NI HSC Trusts by May 2025. All NI citizens now have a digital health and social care record.
View detailed findings
This is the strongest area of IHRD implementation. The Encompass system provides a single electronic patient record across NI: South Eastern Trust went live November 2023, Belfast Trust June 2024, Northern Trust November 2024, Southern and Western Trusts May 2025. The My Care patient portal allows patients to view and update their health information. While this was a broader NI digital health initiative rather than solely an IHRD response, it substantially achieves the intent of recommendation 27.