In News

Follow this topic

Bookmark

Record learning outcomes

The Department of Health and Social Care has warned that it may miss its original deadline for the creation of a single NHS patient record as it acknowledged that governmental project forecasts are often “overly optimistic”.

The DHSC previously committed to launching the single patient record by 2028 – but in a recently published impact statement on the 10 Year Health Plan for England, it admitted it “is possible that the project takes longer than expected”.

“Establishing the SPR is expected to take several years based on evidence from previous major digital programmes in the NHS,” said the DHSC.

The department also noted a “systematic tendency for project appraisers to be overly optimistic both in terms of costs and duration”. 

“The broad scope of the SPR means it will require investment to ensure that staff such as paramedics and community pharmacists have the same access to their patients' data as those working in GP surgeries and hospitals,” the impact statement said. 

It added: “Costs will include product development, technology and data integration including alignment with external vendors, delivery and administration (for example business case development, engagement, clinical and system input) and commercial costs.”

Other costs may include translating medical terminology into “plain English” in patient records so they can be better understood and digitising historic patient information. 

And a proposal to include social risk assessments in the record would also incur costs in terms of data collection and integration, creating a screening process and referral protocols and staff training, said the DHSC. 

“Depending on the approach to the SPR, in order to maximise its value, activities may need to include translating the medical terminology in care records into plain English so that they can be readily understood and used by the patient, and to digitise historic patient information.”

It added that the “magnitude and complexity of the programme and integration with legacy systems” could pose risks if a single provider is relied upon as they may enjoy a “de facto vendor-lock” whereby the cost of switching providers “becomes so high that provision is essentially locked into the original supplier”.