Single medical record to be introduced for NHS patients

NHS patients in England will possess a single, comprehensive health record under new government plans.

The “single patient record” would allow health practitioners across the country to view a patient’s full medical history by obligating all NHS providers including GPs and hospitals to share data.

The measure was formally put forward in the NHS modernisation bill last week, and is expected to be implemented as soon as next year for those receiving specialised care, such as maternity or frailty care.

Karin Smyth, the Health Minister, called the initiative “a gamechanger”.

She said: “[It] means NHS staff can see patients’ medical records, allowing them to deliver better care faster and more conveniently, and even saving lives”.

The government has stressed that patients will have “clear safeguards, audit trails and choice over how their data is used”, adding that “for clinicians it means no more working with missing information or having to check in multiple places to find the same data”, leading to improved efficiency.

This comes as women receiving maternity care are required to recount their medical history largely from memory in their first appointment, oftentimes leading to problematic information gaps.

Dr Alec Price-Forbes, National Chief Clinical Information Officer at NHS England, said that the single patient record would “revolutionise” patient care.

He said: “For too long, patient information has been held in silos, leading to patients having to repeat their story multiple times in different care settings, creating the potential for duplication or gaps in understanding by those treating them - and understandable frustrations and a poor experience for patients.

“The single patient record will be available to all health and care staff in real time, meaning patients get higher quality, safer, joined-up and more personalised care.”

The NHS modernisation bill also seeks to abolish NHS England and transfer its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care.

The government has stated that this move will “reduce duplication and free up resources to be reinvested in the frontline”.