Patients to access online medical records by 2015

Patients will have online access to their medical records from 2015, the government has announced. The plans were unveiled as part of the chancellor of the exchequer's autumn financial statement to parliament on Tuesday. Alongside this, chancellor George Osborne also said patients will be able to see new data on GP performance from December on the NHS Choices website . Further data on GP prescribing will also be published, which information providers can also use to inform patients. Health secretary Andrew Lansley said patients would benefit from open data, allowing greater competition in the provision of health services. "Not only will this approach to open data support research and knowledge-based services, it will crucially empower patients to take decisions about their own care and so drive up equality. This will fuel advances in treatment, as well as positioning this country as a centre of excellence for research." He added: "We will also encourage information providers to use this data we open up to the public, so they can offer patients insights into the quality of care on offer and drive improvements in the quality of science." The Department of Health said in a statement that linking datasets from GPs and hospital care would provide health services with "unequalled levels of information about the journeys of patients through the care system and the outcomes of different treatments". The policy, which will be implemented by the end of this parliament, is part of the government's aim to increase competition in public services. Alongside proposals to increase online access to patient records , it was also announced that information on education data would also be made available. This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the healthcare network to receive regular emails and exclusive offers.