The Single Patient Record: revolutionising care or rewriting trust?

In the latest episode of Digital Health Unplugged, host Jordan Sollof is joined at NHS ConfedExpo 2026 by Dr Peter Thomas and Kate Warriner for a deep dive into the proposed NHS single patient record (SPR). The government’s NHS Modernisation Bill includes a requirement for all NHS providers to share patient data to create a SPR, which it says will help join up fragmented health information and improve access to patient records across care settings. Dr Thomas, director of digital development and consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Warriner, chief transformation and digital officer at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, discuss how a SPR could help both clinicians and patients. With concerns around the legislation forcing providers to share patient data, the pair explain how the NHS should balance easier access to information with patients’ expectations around consent and control, before stressing the importance of leadership and governance to the success of the SPR. Finally, the guests highlight the technical barriers that still need to be overcome before a SPR can be created and set out what needs to have happened for the SPR programme to be considered a success five years from now. Guests: Dr Peter Thomas, director of digital development and consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Kate Warriner, chief transformation and digital officer at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust