The newly introduced NHS Modernisation Bill will introduce the Single Patient Record, which will help patients receive safer, quicker, and more accurate healthcare.
The proposed record will join up fragmented health information and cut layers of bureaucracy, so more time and money can be spent on frontline services.
The Single Patient Record will mean all NHS providers - including hospitals and GPs - will have to share data so the right doctors, nurses and specialists across England can securely see a patient’s full medical history - no matter where they are treated.
Clinicians will benefit from improved access to records as early as 2027 for specialities including maternity and frailty care.
Royal College of Pharmacy director for England Amandeep Doll said, “The move towards a single patient record, as promised in the 10 year plan, will mean that vital information follows people wherever they access the NHS. With pharmacists providing ever more clinical services, managing long-term conditions, optimising medicines and preventing harm, it’s essential they are included in access to the record from the outset.
“Too often, pharmacists must make decisions without full sight of a patient’s medical history, recent hospital admissions or changes to treatment, which creates avoidable risks. Having read-write access to a single patient record is critical to safer, better-informed clinical decisions which will improve care for patients.”
Abolish NHS England
The Bill brought forward on Thursday (14) will reduce bureaucracy by simplifying the NHS structure, including formally transferring NHS England’s functions into DHSC and out to the wider system.
Abolishing NHS England will reduce duplication and free up resources to be reinvested in the frontline, with less time spent on administration, and more time focused on delivering care.
Health minister Karin Smyth said, "The NHS Modernisation Bill paves the way for the Single Patient Record, enabling patients to have real control over their care through a single, secure and authoritative account of their data for the first time.
"It will be a game-changer that means NHS staff can see patients’ medical records, allowing them to deliver better care faster and more conveniently, and even saving lives.
"We will also strip back bureaucracy by abolishing NHS England, empowering frontline staff as part of our 10 Year Health Plan."
BMA caution
The British Medical Association GPs committee chair, Dr Katie Bramall, has questioned the necessity of the bill and its potential dangers.
"There are already existing mechanisms that allow those in secondary care to view the live GP record, and therefore, the Government needs to explain why an additional system is needed.
"Until the security of any data flows can be guaranteed, and full patient-facing audit trails are made available via the NHS App showing who has accessed confidential medical data and why, we remain concerned.
"We also remind patients that they can exercise their right to opt out of secondary uses of their confidential medical data by visiting the NHS website."
