Stephen Beattie, eHealth Programme Manager, Business Services Organisation

The Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record (NIECR) continues to evolve as a powerful digital health solution, now with its user base successfully extended to include community optometrists. In this video, Stephen Beattie, eHealth Programme Manager at the Business Services Organisation, shares the journey of NIECR from its launch in 2013 to its current capabilities. He highlights key milestones such as the introduction of eReferrals, digital care pathways, and its growing impact across both hospital and community settings.

Six Years of the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record: Advancing Integrated Digital Health

Since its launch in 2013, the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record (NIECR) has become a model of success for healthcare interoperability and integrated care systems. This shared care solution has helped clinicians across Northern Ireland deliver faster, safer, and more informed care by providing a single, unified view of the patient.

In this video, Stephen Beattie, eHealth Programme Manager at the Business Services Organisation, reflects on NIECR’s evolution over six years, and its continued transformation from a clinical viewer into a powerful platform for action and community-wide collaboration.

What Is the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record?

The NIECR is a comprehensive digital health record that consolidates patient data from multiple systems into a single, easy-to-access clinical view. By presenting medications, diagnostics, referrals, and clinical notes in one place, it eliminates the need for healthcare professionals to switch between siloed systems.

This centralised, real-time access to patient information improves clinical decision-making, reduces administrative burden, and supports more coordinated care delivery across the health and social care system.

From Viewer to Actionable Platform

Launched initially as a shared health information viewer, NIECR has rapidly matured into an actionable platform for managing care. Key enhancements include:

  • eReferrals and Triage: GPs can submit referrals digitally, while acute care providers manage triage within the same system.
  • Radiology Order Communications: Clinicians can request imaging tests directly through NIECR without switching systems.
  • Digital Care Pathways: The diabetes care pathway has been widely adopted as an example of structured, integrated care within the platform.

These innovations streamline workflows and support clinical safety and continuity of care.

A Strategic Partnership with Orion Health

Orion Health has played a central role in developing and supporting the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record. In the early stages, Orion Health engineers worked with the NIECR team in Belfast, designing, building, and scaling the platform based on real-world clinical feedback.

That collaborative approach continues today, with user-driven development ensuring that NIECR continues evolving with clinician needs and health system priorities.

Extending Access to Community Optometrists

A significant milestone in NIECR’s journey is its recent extension to include community optometrists. By granting access to patient health records, optometrists can:

  • Understand a patient’s full clinical background
  • Identify comorbidities and risk factors affecting vision
  • Coordinate care with GPs and hospital teams
  • Provide more informed diagnoses and referrals

As Beattie explains, “Eyes are a window to your health.” Providing optometrists access to electronic care records helps them deliver more comprehensive care, especially for patients who struggle to explain complex symptoms.

The Future of NIECR: Patient Portals, More Integrations, Wider Access

Looking ahead, the vision for NIECR aligns closely with global digital health trends, prioritising interoperability, patient empowerment, and seamless care coordination. Key future developments include:

  • Integrating more systems across primary, secondary, and community care
  • Expanding clinical pathways beyond diabetes
  • Extending NIECR access to private providers and independent sector professionals
  • Deepening patient engagement through secure digital health portals

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that patients and their care teams always have access to the right data, at the right time, in the right setting.

A Proven Digital Health Record for Better Outcomes

With thousands of users and growing adoption across care settings, NIECR has become a blueprint for integrated electronic health records. It reflects Northern Ireland’s commitment to data-driven, patient-centred care, and showcases how shared care records can scale successfully.

At Orion Health, we’re proud to support the NIECR journey and help health systems worldwide build connected health ecosystems that reduce fragmentation and improve outcomes.