Create a centralized database to make patient health records easily accessible by all NHS services, like hospitals, GP surgeries, and ambulances. These so-called "patient passports" are the main innovation of the government plan unveiled on Monday, October 21, to transform the NHS from "analog to digital" over the next decade.
Wes Steering, the health secretary, promises these changes will modernize the country's healthcare institutions to considerably speed up patient care and reduce human errors. A new law, the Data (Use and Access) Bill, is also expected to support this transition and create a standard system where sharing these digital records is the new norm.
