VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Medical Records

Asked by Mrs Elsie BlundellLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 9 September 2025UIN 71723

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement a single patient record system across the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act, and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025 introduced a new legislative framework for mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.

The Government's 10-Year Health Plan commits to delivering a single patient record (SPR). The SPR will give staff and providers access to the information they need to provide health and care and will end the need for patients to repeat their medical history when interacting with different health and care providers. It will provide a comprehensive patient record, bringing together information from all of a patient’s medical records into one place.

We have been engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would like to see included in an SPR, and we will continue to talk to the public and to health and care professionals as we design the SPR to ensure their needs are reflected. The SPR will begin to go live from 2028.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim