The UK Government's proposed NHS Modernisation Bill, or Health Bill, is one of its most ambitious transformations in the history of the NHS. At the centre of the proposal is the introduction of a Single Patient Record (SPR) designed to bring patients’ health information together into one accessible and secure digital record for the very first time.
When it launches in 2028, the government argues that the new SPR will improve patient safety, reduce bureaucracy and enable healthcare professionals to access vital medical information more quickly.
While the primary focus is on improving patient care, the changes could also have important implications for patients pursuing medical negligence claims. For solicitors specialising in clinical negligence like us here at Medical Solicitors, one of the most time-consuming aspects of investigating a claim is obtaining and reviewing medical records. A more integrated healthcare record system could significantly streamline this process if date record requests are dealt with through access to the single system.
In this blog, we look at what the Single Patient Record proposal is, what this means for patients, and how a new system could potentially affect medical negligence claims.
What is the NHS Single Patient Record?
When you think about the NHS, you might assume that doctors, nurses and other staff can see your full medical history and that, if you move between hospitals or your GP refers you to a consultant, your records travel with you. If only it were that simple!
Currently, a patient's medical information may be spread across multiple organisations, including GP practices, NHS hospitals, community healthcare providers, mental health services and social care providers.
This often results in fragmented records, duplication of information and delays in accessing key clinical documents. Your GP has one record, a hospital may have another, and social care or mental health services may use a completely different system.
The Single Patient Record (SPR) is one of the most significant parts of the proposed NHS Health Bill reform because it aims to change that into – as the name suggests – a single joined-up system.
All NHS healthcare providers in England would be required to store and share relevant patient information so the right doctors, nurses and specialists across can see a patient’s complete medical history, no matter where they are treated.
In theory, this should reduce administrative delays and help healthcare professionals make more informed clinical decisions.
What information might be included in the Single Patient Record?
Potentially, the Single Patient Record could include:
- NHS number and demographics
- Diagnoses
- Medications
- Allergies
- Vaccinations
- Test results
- Hospital admissions
- Care plans
- Referrals
- Mental health information (subject to access controls)
- Social care information where relevant.
What does this means for an average patient?
If implemented successfully, the most noticeable change for patients would likely be less repeating of your story to every healthcare professional you meet. There would be fewer forms asking for the same information and less repetition during appointments.
It will mean that wherever you’re treated - whether that’s your GP practice, a hospital or a specialist service - the clinicians caring for you will have access to the same complete, accurate record that you can also see via the NHS App.
With more information available to them, clinicians should have a better understanding of your medical history, resulting in safer, quicker and more accurate care, without juggling multiple systems or working with missing information.
Potential benefits of the Single Patient Record include:
Safer care - Many medical errors occur because clinicians do not have complete information. A more connected record could help prevent things like prescribing drugs that interact badly with existing medications, missing any allergies, or repeating investigations unnecessarily.
Less repetition - Patients often have to tell the same story repeatedly when moving between services. A shared record could reduce this, particularly in maternity or geriatric care.
Faster treatment - Clinicians may spend less time chasing information and more time making decisions.
Better management of long-term conditions - For people with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD or dementia, different professionals could work from the same information, improving co-ordination.
Having data readily available to them on the spot will mean doctors are projected to save around 500,000 hours a year in unnecessary administrative tasks, enabling them to focus on treating patients rather than searching for information.
It is also estimated that 20,000 fewer patients will have to go to A&E and 6,000 fewer will be admitted to hospital, reducing the strain on emergency departments and in-patient care.
The government say the SPR is expected to save more than £20 million a year by reducing medication errors, adverse drug reactions and duplicate prescribing.
Privacy concerns and other potential challenges
The government say they have received strong public support for this new digital system, so long as proper safeguards are in place.
Some healthcare professionals and campaigners, including the British Medical Association, have questioned the security of having one single patient record and are concerned about what this will mean for data security and patient confidentiality. One main question is will everyone see everything? But the answer is probably not.
Modern healthcare record systems typically use role-based access controls with audit logs showing who accessed records and restrictions on especially sensitive information. This will likely be the case with the SPR. For example, a receptionist and a consultant doctor would generally not have the same level of access.
Other fair and reasonable questions include how secure will the system be against cyberattacks and who will be responsible for amending any errors?
The government say the legislation will be extensively scrutinised by Parliament through all bill stages and will enable the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care to specify in regulations:
- Who can and who must share data with the single patient record, for example different providers of care
- Who can see the data, such as the relevant professionals delivering health and social care and those providing essential support, as well as patients being able to see their own record
- How the system will be enforced
Could patients opt out?
This is another one of the key unresolved questions.
Currently, in England, patients have certain rights regarding how their data is used, particularly for research and planning purposes. Direct-care information sharing is treated differently because clinicians often need access to provide treatment safely.
The government has indicated that the SPR is intended primarily to support direct patient care, where data sharing is already legally permitted under existing health-information laws.
A parliamentary debate on the new Health Bill began on 1 June 2026 so it still progressing through the legislative process and many practical details remain to be determined. Exact rules would depend on the final legislation, NHS policies and technical implementation.
Could the Single Patient Record make medical negligence investigations easier?
Potentially, yes. If successfully implemented, a unified patient record could make it significantly easier to identify, access and review relevant medical evidence. However, nothing published so far says that every NHS record will become owned or controlled by a single national data controller. It could be that law firms will continue obtaining records from individual trusts, GP practices and other providers unless legislation creates a national body responsible for responding to legal record requests.
How are medical records currently accessed during a claim?
Before a medical negligence claim can be properly assessed, solicitors must obtain and review extensive medical records. This process is rarely straightforward as a claimant's records may need to be requested separately from their GP surgery, one or more NHS Trusts, community healthcare providers, mental health services, ambulance services, private healthcare providers and so on.
Records are often supplied in different formats with varying levels of organisation and completeness. It is not uncommon for medical negligence solicitors to receive thousands of pages of records spread across multiple providers. In complex cases involving several healthcare organisations, obtaining a complete chronology can take months. Where records are missing, duplicated or difficult to interpret, additional requests may be required, causing further delays.
We are fortunate in that our team is made up of experienced medical professionals such as former doctors, midwives and dental practitioners, as well as solicitors who have had lengthy careers in clinical negligence. This means that they are adept at knowing what to look for in medical records.
We also operate a related business called Order Order! which is a medical record chronology company that can transform dense, complex medical files into clear, organised and searchable timelines.
However, not all medical negligence teams have easy access to such experience and services.
The Single Patient Record could benefit medical negligence solicitors by providing:
Faster access to medical records - A single integrated record may reduce the need to obtain records from multiple healthcare providers individually. This could shorten the time needed to gather evidence and assess the merits of a claim.
Improved record completeness - One of the challenges in clinical negligence litigation is identifying gaps in the medical evidence. A centralised record system may help reduce missing documentation by bringing together information from different parts of the healthcare system into a single source.
Better chronologies - Medical negligence cases often depend upon understanding precisely what happened and when. A unified record could provide a clearer chronological account of a patient's treatment journey, making it easier for solicitors and medical experts to identify potential breaches of duty or delays in diagnosis.
Reduced administrative burden - Clinical negligence investigations involve substantial administrative work, particularly when chasing records from multiple organisations. A more streamlined record system could reduce these inefficiencies and allow legal teams to focus more quickly on the substantive issues in a case.
For medical negligence claims, the quality of the record itself will remain crucial. A centralised system will only be beneficial if the information recorded is accurate, complete and properly maintained.
At the same time, the reforms are unlikely to change the fundamental legal requirements of a clinical negligence claim. Patients will still need to demonstrate that negligent treatment occurred and that it caused avoidable injury or harm.
Could the new system help prevent medical negligence?
The government’s position is that improved information sharing should enhance patient safety.
Many medical negligence claims arise because clinicians do not have access to complete information about a patient's history, medications, allergies, previous investigations or earlier diagnoses.
Examples include:
- Missed or delayed diagnoses
- Medication errors
- Failures to identify previous test results
- Communication failures between departments
- Inadequate follow-up care
If clinicians can access comprehensive patient records more easily, some of these incidents may become less common.
The SPR is also crucial to delivering three strategic shifts outlined in the government’s 10-year Health Plan for England.
1. Hospital to community: allowing healthcare professionals to share patient data, develop connected care plans and support people to self-manage closer to home.
2. Sickness to prevention: improving predictive and personalised care by including data from wearable devices and, in the future, the genomics record.
3. Analogue to digital: providing one comprehensive patient record, allowing healthcare professionals to spend less time on finding healthcare information, and more on care.
While no system can eliminate medical errors entirely, better access to information has the potential to reduce avoidable harm.
As a law firm, we are fully behind these proposals and will continue to monitor how the legislation progresses.
Speak to a Medical Negligence Solicitor
If you believe you have suffered harm as a result of substandard medical treatment, obtaining specialist legal advice as early as possible is important.
Our experienced medical negligence solicitors can help obtain and review your medical records, investigate what happened, and advise whether you may have grounds to bring a claim.
Contact our team today for a free, confidential discussion about your circumstances.