The NHS will let you access your health records from a phone
The NHS is one of Britain's greatest achievements and the envy of countless countries around the world, but sometimes it's found it hard to ditch the paperwork and embrace technology. In its ongoing bid to improve patient care (and save a few pennies) the NHS today outlined a number of new digital improvements that include making use of apps and opening up access to millions of healthcare records. Parents, for example, will be offered a new digital "red book" that lets them manage their child's early health updates from a smartphone or tablet. The NHS will also start giving smartphone apps a new golden seal of approval so patients and carers know they're reliable. Who knows, in the future, doctors could use your Apple Health or Google Fit data to cure all of your ailments.
All patients will get online access to their GP records next March, followed by their full care records in 2018. The NHS is going one step further, however, by giving you the ability to add your own comments and data from wearables the year after; you won't be able to edit any official entries, but it should give doctors a better sense of your health and personalise treatments. One pilot will even give some patients access to an online "personal budget," presumably so you can influence your care and see how much the government (and therefore, the taxpayer) is really spending to keep you ship-shape.
