SimEPR – The Leading Simulated Electronic Patient Record Platform for Healthcare Education
The NHS is digital. Your simulation training should be too.
Trusted by Universities and NHS Trusts across the UK, SimEPR is the leading simulated electronic patient record platform for healthcare education — delivering high-fidelity, browser-based EPR training that mirrors real clinical environments, at any scale.
SimEPR is setting the digital standard for simulation-based learning.
As the NHS advances towards a fully digital health service, the ability to navigate electronic patient records is no longer optional — it’s a core clinical competency. Yet most simulation training still relies on paper-based notes or disconnected systems that bear little resemblance to the technology students will use on placement and in practice.
SimEPR bridges that gap. Designed for education, SimEPR replicates the core functionality of real-world EPR systems — including documentation, observations, prescribing and results — within a fully digital, high-fidelity training environment.
With integrated tools for scenario creation, real-time monitoring and structured debriefing, SimEPR enables institutions to deliver consistent, immersive and scalable simulation experiences.
Through SimWard and SimClass, educators can facilitate collaborative ward-based simulations and independent, asynchronous case-based learning — from a single unified platform.
Designed for realistic, scalable simulation training.
Real-time monitoring and debriefing tools
Track learner activity, reveal hidden results and support structured debriefing with detailed analytics that enhance feedback and reflection.
Multi-modal simulation delivery
Deliver single-patient simulations with SimEPR, collaborative ward scenarios with SimWard, or independent case-based learning with SimClass — all within one unified platform.
Scenario creation with Editor Mode
Build and customise simulation scenarios quickly, with automated observations, results and patient data — reducing preparation time and enabling reusable, standardised training at scale.
Web-based, no installation required
Access SimEPR instantly on computers or tablets via any browser, with no installation required — making distribution straightforward across classrooms, simulation centres and remote learning environments.
Built for high-fidelity digital healthcare simulation
SimWard – Collaborative ward-based simulation
SimWard enables educators to deliver immersive, ward-based simulations where participants collaborate in real time to manage multiple patients simultaneously. Suitable for both physical simulation environments and tabletop exercises, SimWard allows faculty to monitor activity, control patient progression and introduce clinical developments dynamically — creating a realistic and responsive ward experience for learners at any stage of their training.
SimClass – Independent learning at scale
SimClass supports asynchronous, case-based learning, allowing students to complete simulation scenarios independently — in the classroom, remotely, or as part of a structured Simulated Practice Learning programme.
With built-in assessment, marking and submission tools, SimClass is designed for institutions that need to deliver credible, large-cohort SPL with clear learning outcomes and measurable results. It is equally well suited to OSCE preparation and examination settings.
Related simulation products
The NHS has EPRs. Now it needs a workforce that can use them.
The NHS 10 Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious shift from analogue to digital working across the health service.
NHS England’s Frontline Digitisation Programme has invested £1.9bn to get electronic patient records into every trust. Coverage is nearly universal. But independent analysis from the Health Foundation found that only 10–30% of trusts are using advanced EPR functions — meaning having the system and using it well are two very different things.
The clinicians entering NHS placements today are expected to navigate EPR systems from day one — yet the 10 Year Plan makes no specific provision for how that digital competency gets built within the education pipeline. EPR proficiency is no longer a post-qualification skill. It is a pre-registration requirement.
SimEPR was built in direct response to that gap — a simulated EPR platform designed to develop the digital fluency and clinical documentation habits that transfer to real systems, before students reach placement.
Supporting Simulated Practice Learning at scale
Supporting Simulated Practice Learning at scale
With placement capacity under sustained pressure, many universities are actively developing SPL programmes to meet both NMC standards and the ambitions of NHS England’s Long Term Workforce Plan.
SimClass, part of the SimEPR platform, enables students to complete realistic, case-based EPR simulation asynchronously, in the classroom or remotely. Making it possible to deliver credible, auditable SPL to large cohorts without the constraints of physical space or resources.
Explore the full functionality of SimEPR
SimEPR combines clinical realism with purpose-built educational tools to support simulation delivery, assessment and feedback across a wide range of healthcare training scenarios.
Electronic documentation
Create and manage e-notes and structured clinical documentation within a realistic digital patient record environment.
Observations and charts
Record and review patient observations, including dynamic charts and fluid balance monitoring to support clinical decision-making.
Electronic prescribing
Simulate medication management using a digital drug chart, helping learners develop safe prescribing practices in a controlled setting.
Investigations and results
Access blood gas, laboratory and radiology results within the platform, enabling clinical interpretation and reasoning.
Requests and referrals
Access blood gas, laboratory and radiology results within the platform, enabling clinical interpretation and reasoning.
Scenario automation
Automatically generate patient data, observations and results to streamline scenario setup and delivery, reducing educator preparation time.
Faculty control and monitoring
Monitor learner activity in real time, control simulation flow and push results dynamically during scenarios.
Assessment and marking | SimClass
Support independent learning with structured case submissions, faculty marking and peer-to-peer assessment — purpose-built for asynchronous and remote delivery.
Ward-based simulation | SimWard
Facilitate collaborative, multi-patient simulation environments where learners work together to manage patient care, mirroring real ward dynamics.
Discover how SimEPR supports Simulated Practice Learning placements
SimEPR FAQs
What is Sim EPR?
SimEPR is a web-based electronic patient record (EPR) platform built specifically for healthcare simulation and education. It allows student nurses, doctors, paramedics, and other healthcare learners to practise using a realistic digital patient record system before they encounter one in a real clinical setting.
Developed by Dr Arron Thind in response to his own experiences going from paper-based training to digital practice, SimEPR gives learners hands-on experience with the kind of digital documentation, prescribing, observation charts, and investigation results they’ll use day-to-day.
Why do healthcare students need to practise using electronic patient records?
Many NHS trusts and hospitals now run entirely on digital systems. But most simulation training still uses paper notes — creating a significant gap between how students train and what they will actually need to do when working.
This modality gap means that even clinically confident graduates can struggle when they first encounter a live EPR system under pressure. SimEPR bridges that gap by giving learners a safe, realistic environment to build digital fluency before they step onto the ward. Research consistently shows that digital readiness reduces errors in clinical practice, and simulation is the ideal setting to build that confidence.
Who is SimEPR designed for?
SimEPR is designed for any institution that trains healthcare professionals. This includes including universities and higher education institutions running nursing, medicine, midwifery, paramedic science, radiography, or allied health programmes; NHS trusts and hospital simulation departments; and further education colleges delivering healthcare qualifications.
It supports both educators, who build and run simulations, and students who interact with patient records as part of their training. It is suitable for a wide range of clinical disciplines and works equally well in university settings and the NHS, who’s 10 Year Plan envisions trusts completely digitised with technologically confident staff. SimEPR directly supports that agenda by ensuring that graduates arrive in clinical roles familiar with the digital workflows they will encounter.
What does SimEPR include and what can students do on it?
SimEPR replicates the core functions of a real clinical EPR system. Students can write clinical notes and proformas, document and review patient observations (including fluid balance charts), prescribe medications electronically, request investigations and referrals, and review blood gas, laboratory, and radiology results — including actual imaging.
All of this happens within a realistic patient record interface, so the experience closely mirrors what students will encounter in clinical practice. Faculty can pre-load scenarios, push live results during simulations, and monitor trainee activity in real time.
What is the difference between SimEPR, SimWard, and SimClass?
SimEPR is the core platform — the electronic patient record system used across all simulation modes.
SimWard is designed for collaborative, ward-based group simulations. Teams of students work together on the care of up to 15 patients, either in a physical simulation suite or as a tabletop exercise. No student-specific logins are required, and faculty can monitor activity and push results in real time.
SimClass is built for independent, asynchronous learning. Up to 250 students can simultaneously complete their own objective-based clinical cases — either in a classroom or remotely at home. Students cannot see each other’s activity, and faculty can review and mark submissions afterwards via the controller. There is also an option to download a PDF record of student activity before the session data resets.
Together, the three platforms cover the wide spectrum of simulation-based learning: individual patient sims, collaborative ward rounds, and scalable independent study.
Does SimEPR require any software installation?
No. SimEPR is entirely web-based, which means there is nothing to download or install. It works on standard computers and tablets through a browser, so institutions do not need specialist hardware or dedicated IT infrastructure to get started. This also makes it straightforward to use in both on-campus simulation suites and remote or home-based learning settings.
How does SimEPR support Simulated Practice Learning (SPL) placements?
Simulated Practice Learning (SPL) placements are an increasingly important part of healthcare education — and in many cases, they attract NHS tariff funding. The SimEPR platform structure supports this model and is already in active use at institutions including Buckinghamshire New University as part of their SPL delivery.
What is an SPL placement?
An SPL placement is a structured, simulation-based learning experience that is designed to replicate the outcomes of a real clinical placement, and it has a specific definition — not all simulation-based teaching qualifies. To count as SPL, the activity must be supervised, contextualised to real clinical practice, and explicitly designed to meet practice learning standards. Simulation that doesn’t meet those criteria can still be used in teaching, but it counts as theoretical learning rather than practice learning hours. The distinction matters because only hours that genuinely qualify as SPL can count toward a student’s required practice learning hours — and therefore toward tariff funding eligibility.
How does tariff funding work?
In England, NHS England provides tariff funding to support the education of healthcare students on placement. Increasingly, Simulated Practice Learning is being recognised as eligible for this funding — but institutions must be able to demonstrate the quality and volume of simulated learning activity to justify it.
Where SimEPR comes in
SimEPR provides a digital, auditable record of everything that happens during an SPL session. Student interactions with the patient record — documentation, prescribing decisions, investigation requests, observation entries — are all logged automatically. This creates a transparent, evidence base that demonstrates the value and volume of their SPL programmes to funding bodies and regulators.
In summary, SimEPR helps institutions do three things at once: generate the documented evidence needed to support tariff funding claims; deliver high-quality SPL experiences that genuinely prepare students for digital clinical environments; and do so efficiently, without placing unsustainable demands on faculty time and resources.
How much time does SimEPR save faculty and simulation teams?
SimEPR users have reported meaningful reductions in preparation time, printing costs, and the need for additional staffing during simulations.
Scenarios are reusable and reset automatically at the end of each session. The Editor Mode allows faculty to build scenarios efficiently, with automatic generation of observations and investigation results. Student activity is logged digitally throughout, making debriefs more focused and substantive. And the platform supports consistent delivery across cohorts, disciplines, and sites.
Does SimEPR require students to create individual logins or accounts?
No — SimEPR is designed to operate without student-specific logins. Students can participate in simulations without needing to register, create accounts, or submit any personal data to the platform. Faculty retain full visibility of activity during the session through the controller, but no personally identifiable student data needs to be collected or retained by the platform.
SimWard and SimClass operate with a similar architecture — activity is reset at the end of each session and student data is wiped, with the option to download a PDF record beforehand if faculty need a record of individual performance. This means institutions can run large-scale, assessed simulation sessions without generating ongoing data storage obligations.
For institutions navigating data governance requirements — particularly those working with information governance teams or operating under NHS data frameworks — this approach significantly simplifies compliance.
What does the research say about SimEPR's effectiveness?
SimEPR has a growing published evidence base. In a multi-centre regional study conducted in collaboration with Health Education England Southeast, data from 209 trainees — including medical students, foundation doctors, and post-foundation doctors — showed that 86% reported greater realism with SimEPR compared to paper-based notes, and 83% reported that SimEPR helped augment their clinical learning.
Adelaide Health Simulation at the University of Adelaide published a peer-reviewed commentary highlighting improved authenticity, alignment with real clinical workflows, and development of digital fluency. Buckinghamshire New University has also published findings from its use of SimEPR in interprofessional trauma simulation, demonstrating its value for digital documentation, data access, and electronic handover.
What packages does SimEPR offer?
SimEPR is available in three tiers — Essential, Advanced, and Extended — each designed to suit different types of institutions and scales of delivery.
Whether you are a hospital simulation department running single-patient scenarios, a university looking to deliver ward-based and independent learning, or an institution integrating SimEPR across multiple disciplines, there is a package built around your needs. The tiers differ in terms of the number of faculty logins, scenario storage, and the number of concurrent simulation sessions you can run.
To find out which package is the right fit and get a full breakdown of what is included at each level, get in touch with our team.
How quickly can we get SimEPR up and running?
Because SimEPR is web-based and requires no installation, setup is straightforward. Onboarding involves configuring faculty accounts, getting your team familiar with the Editor Mode for building scenarios, and tailoring the platform to your programme’s needs.
Sim & Skills provide guidance, information, and ongoing support throughout installation, use, queries and renewal.
Can SimEPR be used across different healthcare disciplines, or is it primarily for nursing and medicine?
SimEPR is designed to be discipline-agnostic and can be implemented across all clinical settings where patient records are used. It is currently used across nursing, medicine, midwifery, radiography, paramedic science, and allied health programmes. As the platform replicates the kind of EPR environment found across clinical settings, so the learning is relevant regardless of the student’s specific professional pathway. For example:
- The University of the West of England uses SimEPR within its radiography education programme and has reported cost savings and reduced staffing requirements alongside a simulation experience that remains engaging and interactive.
- Buckinghamshire New University has used it for interprofessional trauma simulation spanning multiple disciplines simultaneously.
How do I find out more or book a demonstration?
For a full walk-through of the platform features, advice on which package fits your institution and to arrange a live demonstration, get in touch with the Sim & Skills Sales team.
Ready to see SimEPR for yourself?
Arrange a demonstration with our team and see how SimEPR can transform EPR training across your programmes.
Trusted by Universities and NHS Trusts across the UK
What educators say about SimEPR
| VAT No. GB363253506