Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh Teaching Hospitals Unveil Results of Digital Transformation

Key Takeaways

• 100% compliance with Acute Abdomen Pathway documentation.
• Urgent CT reporting within one hour rose to 76%.
• First Best Practice Tariff awarded for emergency laparotomy.
• Automated NELA guidance embedded in Sunrise EPR improves workflow.
• Paper‑based process replaced, reducing delays and variation.

Pulse Analysis

The NHS has long grappled with fragmented paper processes that hinder rapid decision‑making in emergency care. By integrating the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) guidelines directly into the Sunrise electronic patient record, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals created a real‑time decision‑support environment. This approach aligns clinicians with national best‑practice standards at the point of care, reducing reliance on manual checks and ensuring that every acute abdomen case follows a consistent, evidence‑based pathway.

Performance metrics from the transformation are striking. Documentation compliance reached 100%, and critical age‑and‑complex‑medicine reviews were completed for every high‑risk patient. Urgent CT scans, previously delayed, were reported within an hour for 76% of cases—a jump from 41% pre‑implementation. These clinical gains unlocked the Best Practice Tariff, a funding mechanism that rewards trusts meeting stringent outcome criteria, thereby turning quality improvement into a revenue stream. The financial incentive underscores how digital health investments can directly affect a trust’s bottom line while enhancing patient safety.

The partnership with Altera Digital Health illustrates a broader trend: configurable, cloud‑based EPR platforms enable rapid, trust‑specific customization without extensive redevelopment. As the trust plans to expand the NELA nurse role and capture patient feedback, the model offers a scalable blueprint for other NHS entities seeking similar gains. Industry observers note that such targeted digital interventions, rather than wholesale system overhauls, often deliver the quickest ROI and set the stage for future AI‑driven analytics in acute care pathways.