By Jacob Norton-Leake
Plans for a single patient record for the NHS in England is being debated in parliament today.
The plan consists of combining GP, hospital and social care data into one document for every patient to avoid unnecessary appointments and save time during appointments by not having to go over medical history. Efficiency within A&E is also set to improve, as many clinicians within the department are unable to access patients’ medical history to learn of any medications or allergies that people have.
However, concerns over patients’ privacy, primarily pushed by the British Medical Association, have been raised due to the sensitivity of such data and no current plan to limit who can access it.
Health Secretary James Murray addressed these concerns this morning on BBC Breakfast, announcing early planned changes in the bill’s reading including cyber security and limiting access to “specified people.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have published early projections suggesting that up to 20,000 fewer people will have to visit A&E a year, partially due to the single patient record plans. This is because it is assumed that less people will be wrongly diagnosed due to lack of access to records and more elderly patients will be treated at the GP level. It could also mean ambulance crews can do more for life-saving care on site.
Other areas that would reportedly run more efficiently include within midwifery and care homes due to knowing any individual complications a patient may have.
If passed, it would be rolled out at the beginning of 2027. Some areas in the England already have some local information sharing features but the plan includes scrapping these and replacing them with a single, cohesive, nation-wide system.
The Single Patient Record is part of the wider NHS modernisation bill, which also plans to abolish NHS England and the watchdog Healthwatch, in order to centralise funds on the frontline rather than within levels of bureaucracy. Any problems patients face will have to be reported to a new DHSC patient voice function.
Further concerns surrounding the Bill include further centralisation in Whitehall and fears that the new patient voice won’t do enough or as much as Healthwatch currently does, which may lead to a decline in the quality of care. There is also a lack of prevention plans in the bill which means opportunities to improve obesity levels, alcohol misuse, the promotion of clean air and what to treat away from hospitals is being missed, which are ultimately major factors that eat millions of the NHS budget.
It also comes as the NHS looks to modernise its software after their contract with Palantir runs out next year. It’s currently uncertain whether Palantir will win the contract back but there will certainly be a major focus on integrating this new system into a modern software.
