Britain's plans to use "patient passports" to modernise its struggling National Health Service has prompted a backlash over concerns about digital privacy.
The UK government on Monday launched a consultation on the future of the NHS, with health bosses looking to turn to wearable technology such as Fitbits and digital apps to help reduce waiting times.
Speaking at a launch event in east London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the NHS must go from "analogue to digital" by allowing patient records to be shared across hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulance services.
So-called single patient records, also described as patient passports, will summarise all of an individual's health information, test results and letters in the NHS app, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
The proposals will save an estimated 40,000 hours of NHS staff time every year by creating quicker access to relevant data.
The department said it wants to "explore the opportunities smart watches and other wearable tech may offer patients with diabetes or high blood pressure" so patients can monitor their health from their own home.
No 10 Downing Street said individuals’ information will be protected by robust safeguards from exploitation by private companies.
During interviews to promote the plan, care minister Stephen Kinnock said the government was "committed to protecting data" and that the current system was "not conducive to the most modern cyber security techniques".
He described the government's plans as "no different to online banking apps" and "definitely more NatWest than it is Star Trek".
"In the end, if we don't modernise the NHS, make it more efficient and productive, you can have the best data-protection rules in the world, but you're not going to have a health and care system that actually works," he said.
A representative for patient privacy campaign group medConfidential said: "Patients should know how data about them is accessed and used, and their choices to opt out of such uses should be respected not removed. [The] government may end up sacrificing NHS patients on the altar of economic growth."
During the launch of the consultation, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the "analogue NHS" needs to shift to become a system that is "not just benefiting from, but driving the revolution in data, life sciences and med tech".
The NHS was currently experiencing "the worst crisis in its history", he said, citing issues of people unable to access their GP, slow ambulance times and lengthy waits for hospital beds.
“That is, I’m afraid, the daily reality in the NHS today”, Mr Streeting said. Some people were receiving a "death sentence" because they were being given a prognosis too late, he added.
He urged NHS staff and patients to take part in the “national conversation” by sharing their views online at change.nhs.uk until the start of next year.
“We feel really strongly that the best ideas aren’t going to come from politicians in Whitehall,” Mr Streeting said.
Earlier this year, a report by Lord Darzi concluded the NHS was in a "critical condition", with increasing waiting lists and a deterioration in the nation’s underlying health.
The Prime Minister said: “I know the last 14 years have been really, really hard. We have had austerity, we haven’t had the right money and resources.
“We have had a reorganisation of the NHS that made no sense and made things worse, then had the burden of Covid and everything that followed after that. Frankly, you deserve a lot better than that.”
No 10 said no life science firms or researchers outside the NHS could access to any individual patient record. Data shared for research would be anonymous and would have to pass "robust ethics principles and governance panels to ensure patient safety and privacy", it added.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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- Flexible work arrangements
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
