Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) Calls for Immediate NHS Action on a Single Patient Record

Category
Press Release

United Kingdom, 16th July 2026

The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) is calling on NHS leaders, policymakers and system suppliers to commit to delivering a Single Patient Record as a core component of the NHS’s analogue‑to‑digital transition as outlined within the NHS England 10-year Health Plan: Fit for the Future1. PCRS warns that the continued reliance on paper notes and multiple non‑interoperable digital systems is compromising patient safety, delaying care, and wasting precious NHS resources.

The Case for Change

Despite decades of digital progress in parts of the NHS, many clinicians still face significant barriers to accessing essential patient information. Clinicians often must navigate multiple disconnected systems—from imaging platforms to prescription software—many of which do not communicate with each other or with primary care records. This fragmentation leads to:

  • Delayed diagnoses and treatment
  • Unnecessary repeat testing, estimated to account for 25–30% of clinical activity
  • Patient safety risks, including missed allergies and medication interactions
  • Reduced continuity of care, especially when multiple professionals share responsibility for a patient’s treatment

PCRS feels this is “neither acceptable nor aligned with the NHS England’s analogue to digital ambition.”

A Single Patient Record: What PCRS is asking for

PCRS calls for a unified, accessible, secure digital record that includes:

  • Investigation results
  • Care records and clinical letters
  • Clinician notes
  • Coding information for research and service development
  • Patient access to their own information

Such a system would support safer care, reduce duplication, strengthen prevention, and empower patients to engage more fully in their health.

Calls to Action

PCRS urges the following immediate steps:

For NHS England and the government

  • Make a Single Patient Record a mandated national priority within the NHS England 10-year Health Plan: Fit for the Future.
  • Invest in interoperability standards that ensure all NHS systems can communicate seamlessly.
  • Set clear timelines and accountability structures for Trusts and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to adopt unified digital records.

For Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Trusts

  • Audit current digital fragmentation and identify high‑risk gaps in information flow.
  • Prioritise procurement of interoperable systems that integrate with primary care records.
  • Engage clinicians and patients in co‑designing record access pathways that support real‑world workflows.

For system suppliers and digital partners

  • Commit to open standards and interoperability, avoiding proprietary barriers.
  • Ensure coding structures are simple, consistent and research‑ready.
  • Support patient‑facing access tools that enhance understanding and self‑management.

For clinicians and professional bodies

  • Advocate locally and nationally for unified digital records.
  • Highlight safety risks and inefficiencies caused by fragmented systems.
  • Champion patient access as a core element of modern care.

PCRS believes that delivering a Single Patient Record is not optional—it is essential.

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Notes to Editors: About PCRS

  • The Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS) is the UK’s leading and longest-established professional society dedicated to improving respiratory care in primary, community, and integrated care settings.
  • PCRS educates and supports healthcare professionals working in primary and community settings by providing easy access to evidence-based clinical guidance and best practice resources on all aspects of common respiratory conditions seen in primary care.
  • PCRS advocates and campaigns to inform and influence respiratory healthcare policy, and to set standards in the management of respiratory medicine in out-of-hospital settings.
  • PCRS promotes and disseminates real-life respiratory research as part of its policy and educational activities.
  • PCRS represents clinicians across primary and community care and works closely with NHS England and national programmes to support best practice.
  • The full position statement is available below.
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Derivation
PCRS Produced / Collaboration
Clinical Area
Infection Other
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Current

PCRS Position Statement: Single Patient Record

The Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS) recognises that many of our members across primary, community and secondary/tertiary care face significant barriers to effective patient management due to limited or delayed access to patient notes, investigation results, clinical letters and care records. PCRS supports the ambitions set out in the NHS 10 Year Plan: Fit for the Future and believes that a core element of the analogue to digital transition must be the creation of a Single Patient Record.