Powys Teaching Health Board takes major step in the digital transformation of hospitals
27 May 2026
Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) are pleased to announce a major milestone in its journey toward digital transformation.
Llewelyn Ward in Bronllys hospital has successfully gone live with its’ new electronic Prescribing and Medicines Management (ePMA) system including the Shared Medicines Record (SMR). This initiative marks the first step in PTHB’s phased digital rollout and signals its commitment to enhancing patient safety, care quality, and operational efficiency.
The adoption of ePMA is already supporting improved workflows on the ward, with clinicians and pharmacy teams experiencing greater accuracy in prescribing, reduced administrative burden, and faster access to patient medication records. Real-time information sharing enables quicker interventions and strengthens communication between various teams, meaning patient needs are dealt with more swiftly and effectively.
Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the reduction in manual processes and paperwork, as well as helping to reduce medication errors. The digital platform streamlines every stage of medicines management, from prescription to dispensing and administration, ensuring traceability and accountability at each step.
Dr Bingham, GP Hay on Wye Health Centre & Doctor on Llewellyn ward noted:
"I was on Llewellyn ward during the ePMA go live. I was very impressed by the level of support given to the ward staff and the commitment of my ePMA colleagues.
“Personally, with the mobile desktop trollies, my ward round became a thing of digital beauty. I could have WNCR, ePMA and WCP all open at the same time, no need to keep walking between the desktop computer, the patient's room, chasing the forever wandering drug card or the patients paper notes.
Left to Right: Sue Hamer, PTHB Head of Digital Programmes, James Goddard, DHCW Hospital e-Prescribing Lead, Mo Abdelkafi, PTHB Principal Pharmacist, Bethan Perry, PTHB Senior Pharmacy Technician, Ffion Thomas, DHCW Senior Clinical Informatician, Emma Dodge, PTHB Informatics Clinical Nurse Specialist, Liz Davies, PTHB Product Specialist
Michelle Sweet, Ward Manager at PTHB, reported:
“The introduction of ePMA has been a big change for the team, and it’s taken a bit of getting used to, particularly in the first few days. Any shift away from something familiar is always going to take some adjustment, but overall it has settled in well.
“One of the biggest differences, is simply not having to go looking for drug charts anymore. Everything is there when you need it, it’s clear and readable, and that has made a noticeable difference to how smoothly things run.
“The support from the training team has made a real difference. They’ve been visible, approachable and quick to step in when needed, which has helped ease a lot of the anxiety that comes with a change like this. Having that support on the ground from the start of a morning shift through to the night shift has given staff the confidence to keep going and not feel on their own with it.”
Holly Jarman, Pharmacy Technician at PTHB, said:
“Since using ePMA on my ward there are already clear benefits to both staff and patients. The system has improved the way we work on the ward by allowing multiple healthcare professionals to access a patient’s drug chart at the same time, reducing delays and improving communication between pharmacy, nursing, and medical staff.
“Due to the rural nature of Powys, ePMA is valuable in supporting remote working to review medication charts and facilitate discharge
“The pharmacy priority list has also improved workflow by helping identify newly admitted patients, medication changes, and those requiring urgent clinical review. This supports safer prescribing, more efficient medicines management, and timely patient care.”
Jayne Price, Principal Pharmacist Community Services at PTHB, said:
“It is testament to the commitment and dedication of PTHB multidisciplinary clinical; digital and ePMA project teams how smoothly our first ward rollout has gone. By moving to ePMA, we are enhancing safety, improving efficiency, access and oversight and laying foundations for digital prescribing and administration systems to further optimise patient care, pharmacy and medicines processes.”
Kate Wright, Director of Medical Services and SRO at PTHB, said:
“This is a very exciting and important development for the Health Board. Not only will it help to improve the safety of clinical services, but it will help staff deliver medicines more efficiently. My thanks to support from staff who have worked tirelessly to implement the system and I look forward to seeing its use grow as it is implemented across the Health Board.”
This achievement in Bronllys is just the beginning. As PTHB expands ePMA to additional wards, it will lookto build on these successes, fostering a safer environment for patients, and empowering our healthcare teams with the technology they need to deliver exceptional care.