What is Rio Evo
Rio Evo is the next generation of the Access Rio electronic patient record (EPR). It is built on Access Evo, The Access Group's modern technology platform for health and social care.
Rio Evo is not a separate or replacement product. It is the clinical system Rio customers already use, rebuilt on a contemporary platform architecture that enables capabilities the current system cannot support. The clinical models, care frameworks, and workflows that underpin Rio remain central to Rio Evo.
Why has Rio Evo been developed
The current Rio platform was built on architecture that, while robust, was designed for a different era of NHS technology. As NHS digital requirements have evolved, the limitations of the current architecture have become increasingly apparent: interoperability is harder, performance at scale is constrained, and the pace of innovation is slower than the NHS needs.
Rio Evo addresses this by re-platforming Rio onto Access Evo: a modern, cloud-native foundation with a unified data model, open API architecture, and the infrastructure to support AI-powered clinical tools and advanced analytics.
What is Access Evo
Access Evo is the technology platform on which Rio Evo runs. It provides the shared infrastructure, data architecture, and platform services that power Rio Evo and other Access Health products.
Key platform capabilities available through Access Evo include:
Feeds: a real-time data integration layer that connects Rio Evo with other systems, enabling live data flows between clinical, operational, and national platforms without bespoke interface development
Copilot: an AI-powered assistant embedded in the clinical workflow that helps users navigate the system, surface relevant information, and complete tasks more efficiently
Single Sign-On (SSO): unified authentication across Access Evo products, so users move between tools without repeated logins
Spaces: configurable workspaces that give different user groups a tailored view of the system, relevant to their role and service, without requiring system-wide reconfiguration
These are platform-level capabilities. They are not bolt-ons or optional modules: they are part of what it means to be on the Evo platform.
What is not changing
Your current Rio system continues to operate as normal throughout the migration period. Access Health will continue to support, maintain, and update the existing platform. There is no end-of-life date for current Rio at this stage.
Your patient data, clinical records, and system configuration will be migrated to Rio Evo as part of a managed process. Data will not be lost or discarded.