Electronic patient record systems in England: what do NHS staff think? (The Health Foundation, 24 March 2026)

Summary

To explore current use of electronic patient record (EPR) systems, The Health Foundation commissioned a survey of 1,725 NHS staff members in England between July and October 2025 to better understand NHS staff views towards them. Staff views provide valuable intelligence about the performance of EPR systems in practice. And as the primary users of these systems, staff support is essential if EPRs are to be implemented and used effectively. Buy-in from staff can help EPR systems become more useful and reliable, improving data quality and increasing opportunities for refinement and innovation. 

Content

Key points

• The survey found that EPRs are in widespread use, with 83% of respondents saying they now use them as part of their job in the NHS. On balance, the NHS staff we surveyed were positive about the impact of EPRs in several areas and felt these systems are already improving both patient care (75%) and patient safety (73%).
• Yet 37% of staff also felt EPRs are not currently working well in their organisation. The survey points to a mix of frustrations and barriers to the effective use of EPRs, including having to use multiple EPR systems every day, a lack of real-time support and limited opportunities to give feedback on how they are working.
• An area of particular concern is training. Only around half (49%) of survey respondents had received training on how to use the EPR system for their role, and less than a third (28%) had received training on how to fix or troubleshoot problems.
• Unlocking the full value of EPRs will require coordinated action across the NHS to improve the integration of systems, training and support for staff. Without this, there is a risk that many of the potential benefits for productivity, safety and quality of care will remain unrealised.

Related reading on the hub:

• HSSIB Investigation Report: Patient safety issues associated with electronic patient record (EPR) systems – a thematic review
• Patient safety and electronic patient record systems: Patient Safety Learning’s response to HSSIB report
• Electronic patient record systems: Putting patient safety at the heart of implementation