The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) an £8 million contract for a new electronic health record (EHR) and medicines management system. Secured via the NHS London Procurement Partnership, this contract aims to modernise healthcare IT for military personnel. The system, which runs until 8 December 2033, will cover core primary care functions such as patient registration, clinical consultations, referrals, long-term condition management, and prescribing. It also includes intermediate care tools like waiting list management and components for medicines management and dispensing to enhance safety and accuracy.
The MoD has established a clear implementation timeline for the deployment. Delivery begins on 27 February 2026, followed by system training and knowledge transfer by 27 March 2026, and configuration completion by 19 June 2026. Testing readiness is targeted for 31 July 2026. The phased roll-out includes a pilot site go-live in March 2027, the phase one operational roll-out in June 2027, and full functionality launch and optimisation in March 2028.
This investment is part of a broader government strategy to integrate commercial and clinical IT standards into defence healthcare, mirroring the digital transformation efforts within the NHS. TPP, leveraging its SystmOne platform used across the NHS, is expected to deliver a system that adheres to EHR best practices and integrates seamlessly with existing Defence and NHS digital services. The new EHR is anticipated to deliver significant benefits, including reducing the administrative burden by replacing manual and legacy processes, improving patient safety through real-time data access and continuity of care, and enhancing medicines management via standardised prescribing and automated tracking. Furthermore, it will boost broader defence public health objectives, such as disease surveillance, research capacity, and workforce planning.
The implementation will be overseen by a joint governance structure between TPP and the MoD, which will draw on lessons learned from past large-scale health IT projects. Successfully managing the common challenges of major EHR deployments, including robust governance, user training, and interoperability, will be essential. If delivered on schedule, this investment will position the UK armed forces as an early adopter of integrated clinical systems within defence health, enhancing both service member welfare and operational capability.
