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

The United Kingdom government is proposing the mandatory sharing of patient records between general practitioners and hospitals as part of a modernisation bill for the NHS. Guardian Health reported on Monday that ministers say the sharing could prevent approximately 20,000 A&E visits a year.

The bill is being considered as part of the NHS Modernisation Bill and is being debated in the House of Commons. The bill is expected to move to the House of Lords in the autumn of 2026. Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said in his Monday press release that 'the sharing of health data will eliminate error rates and unnecessary test repetition'.

Department of Health and Social Care data carried by the Guardian show that in England 8,000 A&E visits a year arise from inability to access patient treatment history in time. A further 12,000 visits are attributed to unnecessary repetition of investigations.

NHS England medical director Sir Stephen Powis, in his assessment of the project for the Guardian, said 'shared information will allow clinicians to make more accurate and faster decisions; this is a critical patient-safety improvement'. Powis added that annual savings are estimated at 320 million British pounds.

Royal College of General Practitioners president Professor Kamila Hawthorne drew attention to the technical side of the modernisation bill. Hawthorne said 'the supply of GP computer systems by seven different vendors raises the technical complexity of data sharing'. The RCGP suggested that the bill should include an additional provision on vendor standardisation.

According to the Guardian, the data standard to be applied under the bill will be the FHIR R4 release. This is an international standard already integrated with the NHS App. NHS Digital chief data officer Frances Calman said 'the standard will be applied for all trusts by the autumn of 2027'.

On privacy matters, Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo told the Guardian that 'sharing patient data is useful; but the structure for who accesses what data for what purpose is unclear'. Carlo suggested adding a requirement to the bill for a 'traceable log entry for every data access'.

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen, addressing the operational impact of the project, said that 'without training and change management, the technology infrastructure on its own will not be effective'. Cullen added that the 78 million pounds allocated for training NHS staff could be regarded as 'a cautious starting point'.

British Medical Association president Professor Phil Banfield told the Guardian that 'the GP sector is already living through a decade-long investment gap; the success of the data-sharing project requires additional investment in infrastructure'. The BMA said that a shortfall in doctor numbers meant 4.4 million patient visits annually had been disrupted.

In his analysis Guardian deputy health editor Andrew Gregory said 'this bill moves the debate on health data sharing beyond the technical infrastructure debate; it directly engages the patient experience and clinical decision-making'. This article is not personal health advice; if you have questions about data rights, you can contact NHS Digital.