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Newly appointed health secretary James Murray has defended the Government’s plans to launch a single patient record (SPR) against data privacy concerns, arguing it will have “strict safeguards” in place.

Mr Murray’s comments came during a June 1 debate in the House of Commons for the second reading of Labour’s proposed Health Bill, which includes a legislative framework for the creation of the unified patient record.

It is thought that the SPR could be launched to some parts of the NHS as early as 2027.

The debate heard from Conservative MP Caroline Johnson, a consultant paediatrician, who asked: “Do patients want their full medical record, including sensitive conditions and perhaps including sexual health records, visible to every health professional?”

Concerns were also raised about the possible awarding of the contract to US technology company Palantir, which Labour MP for Stockport Navendu Mishra described as a “spy tech firm” and which in 2023 won a £330m contract to develop the NHS federated data platform.

Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy said the SPR provides “real potential for better joined-up care” but warned: “Patients must have confidence that their information is safe, confidential and used in their interest.

“That means safeguards on NHS data, including the role of private technology companies such as Palantir and transparency around access by private providers and consultant partnerships, including limited liability partnerships.”

Mr Murray said: “Patients rightly expect their highly personal and sensitive medical details to be protected, and they will be.

“Under our plans, strict safeguards, strong cyber-security and clear controls on who can read information will be backed by an audit trail of who has accessed what.”

Closing the debate, health minister Karin Smyth said the SPR “will protect personal data by default,” adding that it will have “the highest standards of cyber-security and information governance”.

It will be developed such that “only the right people can access the right information at the right time and for the right reasons,” Ms Smyth added.

“Much of the detail” surrounding the SPR’s implementation will come through secondary legislation, she said.

In a statement issued on Monday June 1, the British Medical Association’s General Practice Committee said that while the SPR “may sound appealing to patients,” GPs have “real concerns around what it means for security and confidentiality.

GPC England deputy chair Dr David Wrigley said: “GPs have protected patients’ confidential records since the inception of the NHS in 1948 – a legal duty that they take incredibly seriously.

“However, we need clarity that this important GP oversight will not be taken away, otherwise it will raise serious questions about who is safeguarding patients’ data.

“We must make sure that this law does not open up possibilities for patient data to be used inappropriately for purposes that patients would not reasonably expect.”

The Government’s SPR plans have been welcomed by some voices in the pharmacy sector, with Royal College of Pharmacy England director Amandeep Doll saying in May: “Too often, pharmacists must make decisions without full insight of a patient’s medical history, recent hospital admissions or changes to treatment, which creates avoidable risks. 

“Having read-write access to a single patient record is critical to safer, better-informed decisions which will improve care for patients.”