NHS England is asking suppliers for advice on designing the “single patient record” (SPR), which is seeking to create a “single version of the truth” across the NHS and social care.
It has launched a “pre-market engagement” on proposals for the SPR, which is intended to connect all individuals’ NHS and social care data.
Documents reveal NHS England envisages the new system should “make the most of the existing NHS technology estate”, such as electronic patient records, but also asks suppliers which current technology will be “no longer required” when the SPR is introduced.
It appears the SPR will effectively replace existing “summary care records”, which collate limited information from across various services, but will include significant extra functions.
It says summary care records are “not comprehensive” as they are “read only” and “present data from care settings in tandem rather than creating a single version of the truth”.
The SPR will also crucially go further by enabling staff and patients to write to the single shared record, rather than only reading from it.
According to NHSE it will enable services to “better coordinate care between providers, make discharge summaries electronic, build neighbourhood health systems and run national vaccination and other direct care programmes”.
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Source: HSJ, 2 May 2025
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