Government to develop NHS shared digital platform for medical info

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has revealed it will develop a shared digital platform to allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between NHS and care staff.

The announcement by health secretary Wes Streeting, published on 3 January 2025,  is part of a wider package of reform for adult social care in England, which also includes provisions to boost the use of technology in supporting older people in their homes.

Few details of the digital platform have been made public  but DHSC said that it will support the sharing of medical information, such as when someone last took their medication, between NHS and care staff to raise the standard of care.

It will help to integrate digital systems, remove the need to repeat information about people’s care on multiple occasions and speed up access to medical data for care staff.

DHSC said that “by the end of parliament, we aim for all care providers to be fully digitised, and for staff to have access to essential medical information in a timely way”.

The government will also invest further in technology as part of the additional £86 million added to the Disabled Facilities Grant for this and the next financial year, with the aim of helping more people to live independently and reduce the number of hospitalisations.

New national standards and guidance on technology in care will be set to help providers know which technologies are fit for purpose, secure and able to connect with wider NHS and social care systems in the future.

It is also expected to help technology suppliers know where to invest to grow their businesses and continue to create innovative products that support people’s care.

The government is launching an independent commission into adult social care to be chaired by the Baroness Casey of Blackstock, to inform the work needed to deliver the pledges.

Split over two phases, the commission will set out a vision for adult social care, with recommended measures and a roadmap for delivery.

The first phase, running to 2026, will identify the critical issues facing adult social care and set out recommendations for effective reform and improvement in the medium term.

The second phase, reporting by 2028, will make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care.

Streeting said: “The investment and reforms we’re announcing today will help to modernise social care, get it working more closely with the NHS, and help deliver our Plan for Change.

“But our ageing society, with costs of care set to double in the next 20 years, demands longer term action.

“The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century.”

Responding to the news, Hugh Alderwick, director of policy at The Health Foundation, said: “What’s needed now is political will and long-term investment to finally implement reform and improve the lives of millions of people and their carers.

“The new commission must be an opportunity to deliver reform – not delay it.”