The nation’s medical records are going online by 2015 as part of a consumerisation of the NHS under a digital strategy unveiled today. Blighty's health service patients’ medical records will be made available online "securely" in three years’ time under the NHS Information Strategy.
Patients will be able to view and refer to the records, and share them with whomever they choose, the government said. It’s a radical departure for a service that ferrets away patient information collected using pen and paper, often recording and re-recoding the same info.
The NHS has also wasted millions developing electronic patient records that invariably cannot be exchanged between different professionals and trusts. Also under the NHS Information Strategy, the government is injecting a big dose of web-based communication and collaboration in to the NHS's dealings with the public.
Repeat prescriptions and test results will be made available online, speeding up availability and potentially curbing the NHS’ addiction to sending out letters that get lost or are contradicted by follow-on correspondence. It’ll also be possible to contact GP surgeries by email and to book appointments online. The idea is to end the "8am rush" of trying to book a doctor the same day, of getting held in a holding pattern on the phone, or trying to track down the right person at the surgery.
The government also wants to introduce barcodes for use on medication in care homes, to cut down on mistakes that cause accidents and death by dishing out the wrong prescription. Pilots are currently underway to find out how this will work.
The government said it’s not going to tell doctors and nurses what technology they should use to deliver on the strategy, but would instead support them in picking "imaginative solutions". Meanwhile, the Royal College of GPs has agreed to help the rollout of electronic services and from next year the NHS Commissioning Board will be asked to work with the Royal College.
