Full medical records, test results and letters from doctors will all be available on the NHS app, under plans to digitally revolutionize health services in England.
Ministers hope the changes – part of NHS England’s new ten-year strategy – will revolutionize the way patients interact with care, much like how apps have transformed our banking.
Currently, the NHS app is limited because patient records are held locally by the patient’s GP and any hospital they attend, and not all parts of the health service interact with the app.
But the government says it is pushing ahead with plans to create a single patient record.
Campaigners have raised concerns about data protection, but ministers said they were “absolutely committed” to protecting confidential medical information.
At the same time, the government has launched a new “national dialogue” to inform a ten-year plan due to be published in the spring.
One of the key themes of the plan will be “analog to digital” and the single patient record will be a central part of this.
The government says it will speed up patient care and reduce duplication of testing and medical errors.
Last year, the company Palantir was awarded a contract to create a repository that consolidates individual records held by local services.
It will allow patients and those who treat them to access information about their health.
Campaign group MedConfidential warned that having such a single record would be “vulnerable to abuse”.
But Care Secretary Stephen Kinnock defended the move, saying the government was “absolutely committed” to protecting patient data.
He said a new bill, which would set out safeguards to provide an “ironclad guarantee” of safety, would be tabled in parliament to advance the measure.
The ten-year plan will also focus on moving care from hospitals to the community.
Local community health centers will form part of this, with patients able to access GP, district care, physiotherapy and testing services under one roof, the government said.
But it said it wanted to hear the public’s ideas for change in the national conversation.
Public engagement begins on Monday with the launch of the website change.nhs.uk.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The NHS is going through the worst crisis in its history, but although the NHS is broken, it is not defeated. Together we can solve it.
“Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you’ll see first-hand what works well, but also what doesn’t work. We need your ideas to help turn the NHS around.”
Patients Association chief executive Rachel Ball said she “warmly welcomed” the move.
She said: “For too long, many patients have felt that their voices have not been adequately heard in shaping care.
“This national conversation marks an important step towards true patient partnership and puts patients at the forefront of NHS development.”
RCN general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said it was vital NHS staff were also involved.
But she said any future plans would require “new investment”.
The government is expected to provide additional funding for this winter and next when Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her budget next week.
