Digital prescribing set to benefit Velindre cancer patients and blood donors
24 November 2025
Patients and donors accessing specialist cancer and blood services in Wales are set to benefit from streamlined prescribing, with a new digital service making things easier and safer for them and for the staff managing their care.
Velindre University NHS Trust (VUNHST) has chosen software supplier Better as its preferred technology partner to deliver electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA), which sees traditional paper-based processes replaced with digital systems.
ePMA reduces the risk of medication errors by ensuring prescriptions are clear, legible and complete, and includes built-in safety checks for allergies and dosage accuracy. VUNHST joins all health boards in Wales in taking this significant step forward in delivering electronic prescribing in hospitals.
Nicola Williams, Executive Director of Nursing, Allied Health Professionals and Health Science at Velindre University NHS Trust, said: “The introduction of electronic prescribing at Velindre marks a major milestone in our commitment to patient safety and high-quality care. By replacing paper-based systems with digital processes, we’re reducing the risk of medication errors and ensuring our patients receive the safest and most effective treatment possible.”
Dr Lesley Hewer, Chair of the National ePMA Programme, said: “We're delighted to see Velindre University NHS Trust joining health boards in Wales who have signed contracts with their respective ePMA suppliers.
“Electronic prescribing increases safety by enabling staff to respond faster to a patient's need for appropriate medication and by reducing prescribing errors. It also benefits the environment as it aims to reduce our use of paper.”
Adrian Aggett, Better Client Director, said: "With Velindre adopting Better Meds, Wales continues to make great progress towards safer medication management and more connected healthcare. As our fifth partnership in Wales, this collaboration reflects a shared national ambition to equip clinicians with better digital tools for care and ensure patients receive the safest and most consistent care possible.”
ePMA is being rolled out to every ward in every hospital in Wales as part of Digital Medicines Programmes, led by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) to ensure that the prescribing, dispensing and administration of medicines is easier, safer and more efficient for patients and clinicians. The national ePMA programme is supported and funded by Welsh Government and is part of the digital transformation taking place across Wales to improve care and treatment.
Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Wales, said: “The shift to digital prescribing across all hospitals and primary care is supporting increasing NHS productivity and leading to further improvements in the safe and effective use of medicines.
“The announcement that Velindre University NHS Trust is rolling out ePMA to its specialist cancer and blood services is yet another example of the excellent progress being made to deliver the Welsh Government’s commitment to fully implement electronic prescribing in Wales.”
Velindre University NHS Trust provides specialist cancer and blood services through Velindre Cancer Service and the Welsh Blood Service. Velindre Cancer Service delivers specialist non-surgical tertiary oncology services to patients across south east Wales. The Welsh Blood Service provides a range of essential and highly specialised services nationally, including the collection and production of blood, blood components and bone marrow to treat patients.
Photo: The Velindre ePMA team.