Shared NHS patient records could cut 20,000 A&E visits a year, ministers claim

The government says the move to shared NHS patient records could save £20m a year. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Sharing access to patients’ health data across NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20m annually, the government has claimed, before the second reading of the NHS modernisation bill on Monday.

The bill, which would also abolish NHS England, sets out measures including single patient records (SPR) for every person receiving health and social care in England, requiring GPs and hospitals to securely share data as part of the government’s 10-year health plan.