Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust has announced a US firm as its preferred supplier for a new electronic patient record (EPR) system.

Epic Systems Corporation, a private healthcare software firm, will provide the EPR programme intended to replace up to 25 major systems, including many that are paper-based.

The aim is to give staff better access to patient information, ostensibly allowing them more time to care for patients.

Over the next two years, the Trust will be working with the company to configure and implement the system.

In a statement, the NHS said Epic had “a strong track record in collaborating with the NHS”, having worked with many trusts to deliver their EPR, including the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

NHS England is investing £1.9bn in NHS trusts to have EPR systems in place.