Single patient record system prototype expected by year-end, says NHS England

Credit: Getty Images/monsitj

By Daniel Pye

A prototype of the NHS’s single patient record system is expected to be ready for review at the end of this year, according to an NHS England manager.

The system, currently in the ‘test and learn’ phase of development, is a key component of the government’s digital transformation plans for the health service.

Once implemented, the SPR will consolidate patient information from across the NHS, providing both patients and healthcare professionals with access to a single, accurate, and up-to-date medical record.

However, NHS England’s interim Chief Digital and Information Officer, Ming Tang, cautioned that the project will not be delivered overnight. Speaking at a recent NHS England board meeting, she said that building the SPR “is not going to be a quick bang and it’s done.” The prototype will need “further development,” she added.

Mark Bailie, NHSE non-executive director, praised the team working on the SPR.

Three options for the record are now in proof of concept, he said. “So no longer in PowerPoint but actually in practising code,” he added.

According to the NHS England website, these technical proofs of concept are:

• Shared Care Record – Hub and Spoke: integrates existing regional Shared Care Records, linked via a central API [Application Programming Interface] (a secure way for different systems to connect and share information)
• Central Integration Model: a centrally managed data store for real-time access
• Virtual Data Layer: connects existing systems to provide a joined-up view at the point of accessing data
• Bailie called SPR “a massive vehicle for change”, so NHSE will need to start working on the engagement plan that goes with it, such as how patients will use it through the NHS app.

In May, a survey of 1,004 people carried out by Understanding Patient Data found 61% believed there was already a single national patient record.

The SPR was enshrined in the 10 Year Health Plan, which was published a month after the survey.

It stated: “For the first time ever in the NHS, give patients real control over a single, secure and authoritative account of their data with a single patient record to enable more co-ordinated, personalised and predictive care.”

NHSE has taken inspiration from similar programmes to the SPR done in Estonia and Australia.

In June, NHSE published the findings from a public engagement exercise on SPR. Participants rejected the idea that all health and care professionals should have full access to an individual’s record, instead favouring a tiered system of access based on urgency and breadth of care responsibilities.

An audit trail was also seen as an essential part of the record system, identifying who had accessed which parts of the record.

“These desires were rooted in concerns about data misuse, breaches, and patient privacy – especially for data considered the most sensitive in a single patient record,” the report stated.

Most participants wanted access to their own record because this would improve care, help family care, and enable access to health information when travelling abroad or around the UK, the engagement exercise found.

‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌