20,000 fewer A&E visits expected thanks to single patient record, Government says
NHS reforms including a single patient record will mean 20,000 fewer visits to A&E each year, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
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The NHS Modernisation Bill, set to have its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday, will establish a system for fragmented health information to be joined up across the country.
A single patient record will mean all NHS providers, including hospitals and GPs, will be required to share data, so that doctors and nurses across England can securely see a patient’s medical history, no matter where they are treated.
This means patients will no longer have to keep repeating their story to different NHS staff, with a “single point of truth” leading to more joined-up care.
Clinicians will be able to see the full picture when and where it is needed, with a complete view of the patient’s medicines, allergies and prescribing history.
The DHSC says this will allow clinicians to deliver safer treatment and will save the NHS more than £20 millions from reducing medication errors, adverse drug reactions and duplicate prescribing.
Read more: Wes Streeting to urge Government not to abandon his NHS reforms
Along with virtual care, the single patient record is expected to reduce A&E attendances for frail patients by around 10,000, thanks to better community care, and another 10,000 from fewer misdiagnoses.
It is also estimated to result in 6,000 fewer people being admitted to hospital each year, based on avoided A&E visits, better heart failure management and improved mental health care co-ordination.
It is estimated it could save doctors around 500,000 hours a year by having patient data available on the spot, reducing time spent searching for information and inputting data.
Patients will have more control over their care, with safeguards, audit trails and choice over how their data is used, according to the DHSC.
However, the British Medical Association (BMA) has raised fears that the new law will open the possibility that patient data is used inappropriately.
Dr David Wrigley, deputy chairman of the BMA’s GP committee England, said GPs have protected patients’ confidential records since the NHS’s creation in 1948.
He requested clarification that that duty will not be taken away as doing so would “raise serious questions about who is safeguarding patients’ data”.
Dr Wrigley added in his statement: “It remains unclear what form the single patient record will take and if it will build on existing technologies, such as GP Connect, which already opens up the GP record to NHS organisations offering direct care, or if it will require a wholesale duplication of existing health records with control of this copy given to Government.”
Health Secretary James Murray said the measures will make care safer, while saving clinicians time.
He said: “When I was in my 20s, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition.
“I am now symptom-free and I get fantastic support from the NHS. But I know how much effort it can be to keep different parts of the health service joined up, and how distressing it is for some patients to repeat their medical history over and over.
“That’s why our single patient record is so important.”
Mr Murray added: “My priority as Health Secretary is to modernise the NHS and make it work better for patients.
“This is our 10 Year Health Plan in action — making the NHS fit for the future by building it around patients’ lives, not the other way round.”
Dr Alec Price-Forbes, national chief clinical information officer at NHS England, said: “For too long, patient information has been held in silos, leading to patients having to repeat their stories, and creating workarounds, potential duplication or gaps in understanding for clinicians.
“The single patient record will give us an invaluable single point of truth for both the clinician and the patient and means higher quality, safer, more joined-up and more personalised care for patients.”
Clinicians will get improved access to records as early as 2027 for specialties including maternity and frailty care.
Pregnant women are currently required to go through their entire medical history in a first appointment with a midwife, relying on memory. This can result in gaps in information and can be distressing for those who have suffered baby loss.
Dr Michael Cocker, consultant obstetrician at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said it will “set a new benchmark” for maternity care.
Dr Maurice Cohen, consultant geriatrician at North Middlesex Hospital and clinical director at the London Frailty Network, said the single patient record would mean the NHS is “wrapping ourselves around the patient rather than the patient wrapping themselves around us”.
The Bill will also abolish NHS England and transfer most of its functions to the DHSC or integrated care boards (ICBs), with the aim of cutting bureaucracy, reducing duplication and freeing up resources for frontline services.
During the debate, former health secretary Wes Streeting is expected to urge the Government to push ahead with modernisation, calling the single patient record “one of the most important reforms of the NHS for decades”.
He will say: “Those who claim recent improvements in NHS performance are simply the result of more money are making exactly the same mistake that has held the NHS back for years.
“Investment matters, but we’re combining investment with reform: embracing technology, cutting bureaucracy, improving productivity and changing how care is delivered.”
Meanwhile, John Browett has been named chairman of the new Online NHS Trust, which will provide virtual specialist care for patients through the NHS app and video consultations.
Launching in 2027, NHS Online will be a new, optional, online service allowing patients to connect digitally with clinicians across England.