Skip to content

Delay to £43m digital patient record system

Lee TrewhelaLocal Democracy Reporting Service
News imageBBC A sign for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust in Truro. BBC
The electronic system was due to be rolled out across Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust sites

A £43m electronic patient record system due to be launched to "streamline" healthcare in Cornwall has been delayed.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) said it was not assured the eCare system, due to go live in June 2026, would "consistently support safe patient care".

The system had been designed to merge digital and paper-based records to give doctors and nurses a "real-time" view of patient information across sites in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The trust said: "We have taken the decision to reset the timing of go‑live to give us more time to ensure the system launches safely and successfully."

'Safe patient care'

It said patient care was its "top priority" and it would only go ahead when "fully confident everything is fully in place to support staff and maintain the high standards of care patients expect".

Describing it as a "complex programme", bosses said the decision to delay demonstrated "robust clinical leadership".

A revised go-live timeline was expected "in the coming weeks", they added, with any additional costs "not yet determined".

According to the trust, the system was aiming to provide:

  • Unified clinical records: Consolidating a patchwork of legacy systems so doctors and nurses can access up-to-date medical histories instantly
  • Patient portal: Allowing patients to directly view their health records and manage their hospital appointments
  • Increased efficiency: Reducing administrative burdens, giving clinicians more time to spend on direct patient care
  • Improved safety: Supporting clinical workflows with built-in safety features, reducing the risks associated with manual or fragmented record-keeping

Kim O'Keeffe, acting RCHT chief executive officer, said, while there had been "substantial progress" with the programme, "the trust was not assured would "support safe patient care and service continuity across all areas".

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

Related internet links