The drive to create a Single Patient Record is gaining momentum. To highlight this, NHS England’s digital chief, Ming Tang, has unveiled some insights from public and market feedback
Ming Tang is NHS England’s Chief Data and Analytics Officer and interim Chief Digital and Information Officer.
The data from Tang emphasises the importance of building a system centred on patients and shaped by public trust and practical insight. Writing in a recent NHS England blog, Tang underlined that the Single Patient Record (SPR) initiative is no exception.
The SPR is a flagship commitment of the NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan, designed to give patients full control over their health data through a single, secure, patient-owned record.
The SPR is a flagship commitment of the NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan
The ambition is to eliminate the need for patients to repeat their medical history at every appointment, and to provide clinicians with a complete, real-time view of a patient’s health information, enabling safer, quicker, and more personalised decisions.
Formally announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in October last year, the plan aims to give patients access to the SPR by default through the NHS App from 2028, subject to parliamentary time.
Over time, the record will evolve beyond medical history to incorporate individualised health risk data from lifestyle and demographics to genomics—allowing for tailored prevention and care models.
What has the public said?
Tang revealed that nationwide public engagement earlier this year shaped the direction of the SPR programme. "People were clear about their expectations," she wrote. “They want confidence that their data will be handled safely, and they want the benefits as soon as possible.”
The public expressed a strong desire for
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