Patient Passports: The Key to Globalising the National Health Service

Digitization stands at the heart of the U.K. Labour government’s “national conversation” to shape the National Health Service (NHS) over the next 10 years. Central to this transformation is the development of the Single Patient Record, or “Patient Passport.” These portable digital records will store all NHS patient information in one place, making it easily accessible to GPs, hospitals and emergency services. However, there are growing concerns about patient privacy and the risk of these records becoming targets for cyberattacks.

I believe that the Single Patient Record could be a critical piece of the puzzle to help transform the NHS into a global leader in health care. The NHS holds a treasure trove of data, giving us a unique opportunity to use AI in ways many other countries are unable to. 

Over the last decade, the NHS has recorded data on activity across hospitals and GPs nationwide. And crucially, it operates within a unified system that’s governed by a single set of values; health care that is free at the point of access.

While security over such sensitive data is a valid concern, we can’t let it deter progress. Large-scale technology always comes with inherent risks, but by designing a connected NHS, we can ensure that the decision to share data is made at the individual citizen level. We’ve already seen success with similar approaches. In Genomics England, the sensitive genetic data of 100,000 people with rare diseases was shared, enabling the U.K. to spearhead innovation and deliver more personalized care to these patient groups.

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But if the NHS is to succeed in this digital race, significant investment is needed. We must view AI not only as a tool for automating repetitive administrative tasks like clinic management but also as a powerful ally in assisting frontline staff in delivering patient care.

The U.K. currently leads in AI research and human capital, alongside China and the U.S. But this lead will quickly diminish unless we support and scale the right innovations. Like many others, I believe that the AI revolution has implications beyond health care; it’s clearly going to impact society as a whole. Technology now has the potential to automate both low-skill tasks and complex human-level reasoning. This could either widen existing inequalities or serve as an opportunity to rethink our relationship with technology and with work itself. So the question is, which path will we choose? 

As AI becomes more central to our businesses, work and society, we must explore new avenues for funding and redistribution. One approach could be to tax the companies that use AI to replace large parts of their workforce, directing those profits to deliver universal services such as health care, education and infrastructure to society at large.

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But this can only happen if our environment and our economy remain an attractive place for AI-driven companies to grow and innovate. We need to balance innovation with social responsibility to foster an AI economy that not only thrives but also uplifts our broader society.

Deep Medical is a U.K. AI company that aims to expand health care capacity with the power of technology. The company tackles health inequality by using AI to predict patient behavior, such as missed or canceled appointments. Its tools optimize booking systems to ensure patients can access the care they need.”

However, investment is needed to ensure that doctors' time is properly remunerated. The goodwill that has kept the NHS afloat over the past 14 years is running thin and without addressing these deeper issues we can’t expect to transform the NHS.

Let's translate the core values of our NHS into the technology of tomorrow. Imagine a future where the NHS co-owns AI that reads body scans in seconds or diagnoses cancer as it develops. Who better to oversee this technology than the organization providing free health care for 75 years?

By embedding the NHS's core values into future technology, we can extend these principles globally. But our success hinges on investment, societal engagement and a commitment to sharing the benefits of AI equitably.