“We welcome the government’s new 10-year plan for the NHS. While waiting lists have started to come down, there is clearly a lot more to be done.

“If the NHS is to offer a ‘truly digital service’ that provides a ‘new transparency of quality of care’, then it is important that patients are confident that their data is secure and only accessible to the right healthcare staff at the right times. This will be even more of a challenge with the proposed move from a hospital-centric system to local health centres.

“Sharing this data securely and effectively, wherever healthcare is delivered, is also vital. PHIN is uniquely placed to share data between the NHS and independent sector.

“Patient records need to be complete, and we need whole practice data – showing all the activity for doctors and other healthcare providers across the NHS and independent sector –to ensure quality care and patient safety.

“We also welcome the increased use of the NHS App and are working to see how PHIN’s data on private hospitals and consultants can be incorporated, so that patients can make more considered decisions about their healthcare.”