🧾NHS Single Patient Record – What This Means for Patients
🧠 The key change
- Your medical record is moving towards a single NHS-wide record.
- This will combine information from:
- GP
- Hospitals
- Mental health services
- It is planned to be accessible via the NHS App by ~2028.
👉 Important shift:
- GP practices will NOT control this shared record
- Instead, NHS England will be the data controller
👤 What “data controller” means
The data controller is the organisation that:
- Decides how your data is used
- Decides who can access it
- Is legally responsible if something goes wrong
👉 Previously your GP practice controlled your GP record
👉 Going forward (for the shared record) NHS England will make those decisions
🔍 What this means for patients
- 🧾 Your record becomes more connected
- Clinicians across the NHS will be able to see more of your history in one place
- This should improve:
- Continuity of care
- Emergency treatment
- Avoiding duplication
- 🏥 Your GP no longer “owns” the shared record
- Your GP still controls their local GP record
- But not the wider combined NHS record
👉 Practically decisions about data sharing are more centralised
- 🧑⚖️ Responsibility shifts away from your GP
- Legal responsibility for:
- Data breaches
- Misuse
- Moves from GP practices → NHS England
👉 This may reduce burden on practices but create less local control
- 🤝 You are expected to “own” your record (in theory)
- NHS discussions suggest patients will have visibility and possibly some control, but how this works is not yet defined
- ⚠️ Concerns being raised
Some GP leaders and experts are worried that:
- It could reduce patient trust in GPs
- GPs may have less ability to advocate for patients’ data privacy
- DECISIONS ABOUT DATA USE MAY BECOME MORE POLITICAL OR CENTRALISED
🧾 Patient Questions → NHS Answers
- “Who can currently see my record?”
- ✅ Your data is shared across health and care services involved in your care. Information is collected whenever you use NHS services and may be shared with other organisations where legally allowed. How the NHS uses your information
- “What data sharing is active for me?”
- ✅ Patients can check their current data sharing choice (view/change) via the NHS App or Online service. Check or manage your data sharing choice
- “Can I opt out of certain types of data sharing?”
- ✅ Yes — there are two main opt-outs:
🔹 A. Type 1 Opt-out (via GP)
- Stops GP data leaving the practice for research/planning
🔹 B. National Data Opt-out
- Stops NHS organisations using your data for research/planning
Opting out does NOT affect your care Opt out of sharing your health records
