What Is an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital record of a patient’s health information that can be shared securely between different healthcare providers and care settings. It brings together information from across a patient’s care history into a single record that authorised clinicians can access when providing treatment. While EHRs are used across healthcare systems worldwide, in the UK they are implemented across the NHS and the devolved health services.
The defining characteristic of an EHR is interoperability. Unlike a digital record that exists within a single GP practice or hospital, an EHR is designed to move with the patient across the healthcare system. This allows clinicians in different organisations to access the same up-to-date information, supporting continuity of care, reducing duplication and improving communication between services.
What Makes an EHR Different from Other Digital Records?
The key difference between an EHR and other digital patient records is interoperability. An EHR is built to share information securely across multiple healthcare providers, systems and care settings.
A practice-level digital record typically remains within the organisation that created it. For example, a GP surgery may use a clinical system that stores consultations, prescriptions and patient histories for use within that practice only. An EHR is designed to connect these records across the wider healthcare pathway, unlike a practice-level record, which is typically held within the organisation that created it.
This means a GP, hospital consultant, pharmacist, community nurse, and other authorised professionals involved in a patient’s care can access the same underlying record. Shared access to information helps reduce repeated tests, prevent prescribing errors and support more coordinated care between services.
The level of interoperability varies across the NHS. Some organisations can exchange information directly through integrated systems, while others rely on regional sharing platforms or more limited data connections between providers.
What Does an EHR Contain?
An EHR contains a broader set of information than a single-practice digital record. It combines data from different healthcare settings to provide a more complete view of a patient’s medical history.
Depending on the systems connected to the record, an EHR can include:
- GP records, including consultations, referrals, allergies and prescriptions
- Hospital discharge summaries and outpatient clinic letters
- Diagnostic test results from laboratories and imaging services
- Vaccination and screening history
- Medication records from community pharmacies
- Mental health service records
- Community and social care information through integrated systems
The information available within an EHR depends on the level of integration between NHS systems in a particular region. Incomplete interoperability between providers remains a challenge across healthcare systems worldwide. In the NHS, for example, not all organisations use fully interoperable platforms and clinicians may only be able to view selected parts of a patient’s record depending on local arrangements and access permissions.
Access to EHR data is governed by the data protection legislation and information governance frameworks applicable in each jurisdiction. In the UK, for example, this includes the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, alongside role-based access controls that determine what information individual healthcare professionals can view.
How Are EHRs Being Implemented Across the NHS?
The NHS has made electronic health record implementation a central part of its digital transformation strategy. The long-term goal is to provide clinicians across healthcare settings with access to a shared, up-to-date view of patient information.
Several national and regional programmes support this work including:
- Shared Care Records (ShCRs)
Shared Care Records are regional NHS programmes that connect information from GP practices, hospitals, community services, mental health providers and social care organisations into a single record that can be accessed by authorised clinicians involved in a patient’s care.
These systems are designed to improve information sharing between organisations operating within the same local health system. The structure and scope of Shared Care Records vary between regions depending on the systems and providers involved.
- Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)
Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are the 36 regional partnerships responsible for coordinating health and care services across England, as established by The Integrated Care Boards (Establishment and Abolition) Order 2026, in force 1 April 2026. Improving interoperability between healthcare providers is a core requirement of ICS planning and digital development.
ICSs oversee many of the local programmes designed to improve data sharing between hospitals, GP practices, community providers and social care services. Larger ICSs have place-based partnerships that deliver integrated services for areas within the ICS such as a town or borough, bringing together the NHS, local councils, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and other local organisations, working alongside local people.
- NHS App
The NHS App gives patients access to parts of their own health information, including GP records, medications, test results and appointment details where these services have been enabled by their practice.
The app forms part of the NHS approach to improving patient access to digital healthcare services and increasing visibility of personal health information.
EHR implementation continues to vary significantly across NHS trusts and regions. Most GP practices use digital clinical systems, while hospital trusts are at different stages of implementing electronic patient record (EPR) platforms. Additional partners continue to be onboarded, with full interoperability across all NHS care settings remaining an ongoing development priority.