CONCERNS have been raised over data protection as new laws are being introduced to make patient records available across all NHS hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulance services in England.

Plans for a “single patient record” have been unveiled, which will summarise all of a patient’s health information, test results and letters in the NHS App, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Ministers have launched a consultation on the future of the NHS, promising to put patients and staff at the heart of its forthcoming 10-year health plan.

The plan, expected to be published in 2025, will see greater use of data and technology.

Last year, a £330 million contract was awarded to US software developer company Palantir to create a database joining up individual records kept by local services.

The company is used by intelligence agencies, counter terrorism police and militaries around the world.

A spokesperson 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.

“Government may end up sacrificing NHS patients on the altar of economic growth.”