DHSC announces legislation for NHS single patient record system
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced plans for new legislation requiring healthcare providers to contribute to a single patient record system, classified as Critical National Infrastructure. The legislation will mandate all health and care providers to make patient information available in the unified system and give patients default access to their records. The system, due to launch in 2028, will be built to security standards equivalent to vital national infrastructure systems. Healthcare professionals will have secure access to patient records, with patients maintaining control over additional access permissions and receiving audit trails of record access.