Strengthening data integration to improve care for over 750,000 patients
- Healthcare
- NHS systems
- Integration
Executive summary
Large healthcare providers increasingly depend on joined-up digital systems to deliver safe, efficient care. When patient data is fragmented across multiple platforms, clinicians lose time, operational costs rise and patients experience unnecessary friction.
This case study shows how integrating a single Electronic Patient Record at scale can improve patient engagement, reduce missed appointments and strengthen operational control. The same principles apply across large, complex healthcare organisations modernising legacy estates while maintaining service continuity.
The problem we solved
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest acute trusts, delivering health and social care to more than 750,000 patients across ten hospital sites.
Prior to its Hive programme, the trust operated a complex and fragmented technology landscape. Multiple Patient Administration Systems and Electronic Patient Records were in use across hospitals, creating inefficiencies for clinicians and administrative teams and limiting access to a complete view of the patient.
The trust needed a single, integrated Electronic Patient Record to unify patient data, improve interoperability and support more consistent, efficient care delivery. The scale of the programme was significant, requiring large-scale data migration, complex system integration across varied clinical workflows and delivery within a fixed, two-year timeline.
Following a comprehensive procurement process, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust selected Epic as its Electronic Patient Record provider, launching Hive as the largest EPR programme in the UK.
What we did
Answer Digital partnered with the trust’s Integration Team to support the design, build and delivery of Hive’s integration capability.
We worked alongside clinical, technical and delivery teams to ensure data could flow reliably between Epic and the trust’s wider system landscape. This included hands-on integration design, development and testing to support core clinical and operational workflows.
Our role extended into go-live readiness and live support, helping to stabilise integrations and ensure services were ready for Hive’s launch in September 2022. Throughout, we focused on enabling interoperability at scale while maintaining safety, performance and confidence across the organisation.
The long-term impact
Hive’s go-live marked the largest Epic implementation in Europe and has delivered measurable benefits within months of launch.
More than 360,000 patients registered for the MyMFT patient portal, giving them direct access to clinical information, test results and appointment details. Missed appointment rates fell from 11% to 9.7%, improving access to care and reducing wasted clinical capacity.
A fully integrated pharmacy solution now connects automated dispensing robots and cabinets across multiple hospital sites. This has reduced medication administration errors, improved stock management and enabled more proactive handling of drug shortages.
The programme has also delivered operational and financial benefits, including cost savings and a reduction in medication-related incidents. As the trust continues to optimise its Electronic Patient Record workflows, the integrated foundations put in place through Hive support ongoing improvement and innovation at scale.
How we can help your organisation
If your organisation is managing complex digital transformation across multiple sites or systems, we can help.
Answer Digital works with large healthcare providers to design and deliver integration at scale, ensuring critical programmes land safely and deliver real-world benefits. We focus on interoperability, service continuity and outcomes that matter to clinicians, patients and system leaders.