Priory strengthens partnership with Ashtons through five-year agreement

Priory has signed a new five-year contract with Ashtons to advance its medicines management capabilities, following the roll out of its e-Works electronic prescribing and medications management system across its facilities.

The agreement covers a full suite of services offered by Ashtons, including medicines supply, expert audit and clinical advice from pharmacists, and training and e-learning for staff.

Priory chief medical officer Adrian Cree said: ‘We are delighted to have signed this five-year contract with Ashtons because of their unwavering commitment to patient safety, their innovative solutions, and their proven ability to deliver exceptional service.’

Priory’s long-standing relationship with Ashtons dates back to 1997, starting with the provision of medicines to one of its hospitals. Since then, Priory has expanded this collaboration to include pharmacy services and the e-Works system, which was initially piloted at one of its mental health hospitals in 2021. The shift from paper-based prescribing to digital systems has led to significant reductions in prescription errors and improved medication management.

Under the new contract, Priory will be the first healthcare provider to implement Ashtons 2.0, a programme that allows pharmacists to offer more frequent remote advice using data captured by e-Works. This is expected to streamline processes by reducing the need for in-person visits to hospitals for chart reviews.

Ashtons CEO Stephen Tuddenham (pictured) said: ‘We value the partnership with Priory and the incredible success the team has achieved. Together, we have built a robust foundation for excellence in the supply and management of medicines, delivering significant clinical and patient benefits.’

Additional developments set to be adopted by Priory under the new contract include an enhanced stock management module, which will streamline the review of medicine supplies, simplify the ordering of new stock, and improve the management of controlled drugs.

Selwyn John, implementation manager at Ashtons, said: ‘e-Works supports doctors to prescribe and nurses to record the administration of medications to support patient care. It is evolving software that we are continuously developing, for mental health and for hospices and clinics.

‘As we have demonstrated with our relationship with Priory, this is a collaboration. We are not just developing the software that we want to develop; we are working with our customers to develop the software they need.’