Shared NHS patient records could cut 20,000 A&E visits a year, ministers claim | NHS
Sharing access to patients’ health data between NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20 million a year, the government claimed ahead of the second reading of the NHS modernization bill on Monday.
The bill, which would also abolish NHS England, sets out measures including single patient records (SPR) for every person receiving health and social care in England and requires GPs and hospitals to share data securely as part of the government’s 10-year health plan.
Combining SPRs with virtual care would reduce A&E visits for frail patients by around 10,000 per year, with 10,000 fewer visits due to fewer misdiagnoses. This will save doctors around 500,000 hours a year, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The DHSC also predicts 6,000 fewer hospital admissions a year, citing avoidance of emergency and emergency interventions, better heart failure management and improved mental health services. Savings of £20 million will be achieved by reducing medication errors, adverse drug reactions and duplicate prescribing.
The bill creates a legal framework for targeted measures. Maternity and frailty care are expected to benefit from 2027.
All NHS providers, including hospitals and GPs, will share data so medical professionals can view a patient’s medical history without patients needing to repeat their problems unnecessarily. The change will consolidate community services and help people manage their conditions.
Patients will have greater control over their care with clear safeguards, audit trails, and choices about how their data is used. Social care records and records of private healthcare providers working on behalf of the NHS will also be included.
Currently, GPs are the data controllers of patient records and may share them with third parties for research purposes. The DHSC is also likely to become the data controller for GP records when they are shared on the system.
British Medical Association calls on doctors Stay in control of your GP data instead of DHSC. The GP committee warned that any move to take control of data away from GPs would undermine trust and put privacy at risk.
The system will have security and privacy by design; This will allow anyone to see who has accessed an SPR and will be provided alongside existing clinical protocols governing what is shared in the record.
The bill abolishes NHS England, transfers its functions to the DHSC and cuts layers of bureaucracy. This will implement a number of reforms and recommendations set out in the 10-year health plan, such as ensuring the implementation of the Dash review in relation to the Agency for Healthcare Safety Investigations and Health Watch.
It will also introduce targeted measures to support the devolution of decision-making to the local level through integrated care boards and provider organizations.
NHS Online, the virtual hospital model launched in 2027 to deliver scheduled specialist care via the NHS app, aims to provide the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years.
Health Minister James Murray said SPRs were part of the government’s 10-year health plan.
“When I was in my 20s, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder,” he said. “I am now symptom-free and receive wonderful support from the NHS, but I know how much effort it takes to keep different parts of the healthcare service together and how distressing it is for some patients to have to repeat their medical history over and over again.
“That’s why our single patient record is so important. It’s at the heart of our NHS modernization legislation and will put an end to this once and for all, saving clinicians time while making care safer.”
Former health secretary Wes Streeting is expected to say the government must win the debate on change and modernization to continue reducing waiting times.
He is expected to tell the House of Commons on Monday: “Those who claim that recent improvements in NHS performance are simply the result of more money are making the same mistake that has held the NHS back for years.
“Investment is important, but we combine investment with reform: embracing technology, reducing bureaucracy, increasing productivity and changing the way care is delivered.”
