People living in England can now opt to share full details of their GP-held patient records outside of the NHS, so that private providers can see the records and pre-prepare their consultations for the first time.
London, UK. Strictly Embargoed to July 30, 2025 – NHS patients in England can opt to share their full medical records held by GPs with private doctors automatically, securely and digitally via a new app, called ORB Connect, which does not put any administrative burden on NHS GPs.
The ORB Connect app allows patients to grant access to their NHS GP records for as long as they choose, from a single consultation through to permanent access. With the ORB Connect integration these records will always be up to date.
A secure digital platform, ORB Connect negates the need to download and share information via emails, which is a potentially insecure method of sharing data, and doesn’t allow for automatic updates.
The patient always retains control over the record, and they can share all, or part, of their records with their healthcare provider – private health and wider relevant stakeholders including non-CQC clinics such as chiropractors or physiotherapists. It is up to the patient if they are happy to grant permission for the information to be downloaded and they must specifically grant permission in each case.
This enables safer treatment, prescribing and reduces the workload on NHS GPs having to manually share information with external providers, according to user Dr Arpit Srivastava, an NHS GP and PCN Clinical Director based in Swindon who also runs a private weight loss clinic which heavily relies on online appointments. Dr Srivastava has been using ORB Connect for several months.
“Previously, if a patient wanted to share their NHS medical records with a private health provider, they either must go through a laborious process of requesting the records to be sent by their GP to their private
provider, which could take weeks, or literally hand their phone over to the private doctor who would have to look through the patient’s NHS app during the consultation itself. Private GPs rarely get to see the whole medical record and are prescribing sometimes without the whole picture”, says Dr Srivastava.
“Now, the new ORB Connect app allows the patient to share access to the records remotely in advance of the appointments. This means the patient can send their health records ahead of their visit, and I can prepare in advance to see the patient knowing about their previous, and current, medical conditions, tests and treatments. It’s much better for the patient if I’ve had sight of their records, and I’m well briefed in advance. It saves their time in the appointment. It has been an invaluable asset in setting up our new private practice.”
“The difference between ORB Connect and currently used digital health passports is that the whole record can be shared for the first time so that private doctors can see the same level of detail as NHS physicians,” says Dr Danny Glover, a Consultant in sports medicine, and co-Founder of MiPro Medical Solutions, which developed the ORB Connect app. “We believe that ORB Connect will assist private practices to safeguard their patients’ data, while allowing a seamless transition of NHS-held records to private physicians – a process which is controlled by the patient themselves.
“Importantly, if the patient consents to do so, the data can be viewed by the private GP but never leaves NHS servers to be downloaded to a non-NHS database without specific further consent by the patient.
“Speaking as a doctor myself who has worked across both the NHS and private practice, the need for the ORB Connect app is clear. Having fully encrypted, secure, digital access to for improved quality of care while saving significant time for NHS administrators and private sector providers has been a long time coming.”
For more information: https://orbforhealth.com/connect/
Mediaenquiries: Amanda Hayhurst, Gloucester Road Communications
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