Medicus EPR: practice perspective case study

Park Road Surgery decided to upgrade their electronic patient record (EPR) system to one that better met the needs of the practice. This decision provided an opportunity for the practice to consider moving to a modern, cloud based EPR aligned with the core standards set out by NHS England.

During the final quarter of 2023, the practice explored 5 different systems before selecting Medicus, becoming the first practice to implement this new system available through the Tech Innovation Framework. This case study reflects the practice’s experience of the selection, implementation, and early use of Medicus, and their own perception of the benefits emerging since go live.

Park Road Surgery is a long established training practice located in the heart of Teddington, Greater London. The practice provides NHS primary care services to approximately 13,000 registered patients. Services include general consultations, vaccinations, family planning, and minor surgery. The practice operates Monday to Friday, with extended hours on certain days, and offers online appointment booking and prescription services.

As its existing EPR system was being decommissioned, the practice saw this as an opportunity to reassess how well its digital systems supported modern general practice and the evolving needs of patients.

The practice spent around 6 months exploring alternative options. This included meeting suppliers, attending system demonstrations, and considering both established and emerging EPR solutions. Following this process, the practice selected Medicus as the system they felt best aligned with their requirements.

Practice staff worked closely with Medicus during the decision making phase, including developing a test system that allowed clinicians and administrative staff to visualise how the system would function in day to day use. The practice felt this hands on approach helped them explore the system in detail, build confidence in their assessment, and ask more informed questions before committing to the change.

Historically, the practice had found system changes to be disruptive, affecting both staff workflows and patient care. They noted, however, that improvements to the national migration process had significantly reduced this risk. What had previously taken up to 3 weeks could now be completed over a weekend for some systems. The practice also highlighted that NHS England support was available during the transition, including access to local resources and peer forums to share experiences.

The practice explained that, over time, they had begun to experience increasing limitations with their previous EPR system. In some areas, this resulted in a reliance on paper based workarounds, adding to the administrative burden for staff. For example, they described prescribing processes that were not fully digitised, with a significant proportion of prescriptions still completed manually using handwritten forms.

Document management was also handled through a separate system, which the practice felt was poorly integrated with the EPR. Staff explained that this could be distracting during consultations, requiring clinicians to switch between applications and interrupting the natural flow of patient interactions. Based on this experience, the practice sought a single, more integrated solution built on open standards.

From the practice’s perspective, Medicus’ browser based design, compliance with NHS security standards, and ability to be accessed from any location with an internet connection supported more flexible working, including during community and care home visits.

The practice also reflected positively on the migration itself. The legacy system closed on a Friday, and the new system was fully operational by the start of the following week. This avoided any period of system unavailability, reduced reliance on paper processes, and minimised disruption to patients. Overall, the practice felt this represented a significant improvement compared to previous migrations they had experienced.

They reported that, taken together, these changes had supported more co-ordinated and effective care delivery.

The practice considered 5 alternative EPR systems alongside their existing solution. They described an inclusive initial screening process that involved a broad range of practice staff to ensure multiple perspectives were considered.

A key factor influencing the final decision, according to the practice, was the level of engagement shown by suppliers and their willingness to collaborate openly.

To support transition planning, Medicus provided a test environment that involved practice staff and the patient participation group (PPG). This enabled structured user acceptance testing (UAT), including migration testing, over a 4 week period ahead of go live.

As the first implementation of its kind, the practice participated in regular discussions with NHS England focused on assurance and issue resolution. The practice felt these sessions were critical in identifying and resolving issues quickly and ensuring that lessons learned could inform future implementations.

The practice explained that this collaborative approach continued beyond go live, which they felt helped build confidence in the system and supported ongoing refinement based on real world use.

The practice adopted a combined training and UAT model ahead of go live, with staff training focused on core operational workflows.

From the practice’s perspective, the most valuable element of training was the intensive onsite support provided by Medicus during the first 2 weeks after go live. Supplier staff were physically present within the practice, enabling immediate, real time assistance. The practice felt this approach significantly reduced disruption and increased staff confidence in using the new system.

To support longer term learning and onboarding, the practice also developed internal crib sheets and process guides. They explained that these materials have since informed the development of refined Medicus training resources based on real world practice workflows.

To find out more about new EPR systems and migration support, visit our Tech Innovation Framework page.

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