Shared digital health record to support national telehealth service

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is working with the primary care sector to develop a national shared digital health record (SDHR).

One of the uses for the shared record will be the 24/7 telehealth service that was recently announced by Health Minister Simeon Brown and will cost $164.6 million over five years.

Other uses include urgent care centres, emergency departments, and hospital inpatients and outpatients.

Darren Douglass, acting chief information technology officer, says there are already a number of shared records both nationally and locally, including HealthOne and Your Health Summary.

But he says access to those services is currently fragmented and not consistent throughout the country.

“Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is working with the primary care sector in developing a new shared digital health record that aims to address that issue, by supporting those services with national data coverage,” says Douglass.

“We want to make clinical information available across New Zealand so that if, for example, a child from Christchurch has to be taken to Starship Hospital, clinicians can access vital information quickly.”

He says the SDHR is about making sure clinicians have the best information easily accessible, to provide the best care for people, wherever they are.

“Because the project is just starting, we have not decided what data we will be gathering, and it is something we will be discussing with the primary care sector through a joint clinical governance group,” Douglass explains.

“We will be ensuring that people’s privacy is respected and have rigorous systems in place to ensure this.”

GPNZ says in its latest newsletter that the SDHR will be a priority initiative for the sector, as indicated in some of Minister Brown’s recent announcements. 

Collaboration and joint workshops are now underway in partnership with Te Whatu Ora to support development of the shared record. 

“This is a great opportunity for primary care and the GPNZ network to help inform how this digital solution is shaped, ensuring the sector and users are well engaged and part of the co-design journey,” the update says.

The development of a New Zealand Patient Summary, which would provide access to key information such as demographics, medicines and vaccination status, was part of Hira tranche one.

This was due to be available to consumers and healthcare providers by mid-2024, but Hira funding was pulled in the $380 million Budget recall last year.

eHealthNews understand the SDHR will build on work already done to provide access to a number of data services, which include the National Health Index (NHI), Medicines Data Repository MDR), Aotearoa Immunisations Register (AIR), and entitlements and enrolments information.

Information not yet centrally available that would need to be collected from primary care includes patient allergies, conditions and observations.

Chief executive of Silverdale Medical Centre Ranyani Perera recently wrote to her practice management system supplier regarding concerns about plans for a national database of patient health information.

She says any work on a national shared health record must have strong data governance, based on a patient-first approach, with explicit consent given by patients for their information to be uploaded.

She says patients should know where their data is stored as well as who has access and that access should be regularly audited. 

Amanda Webb, GPNZ head of strategy and engagement – data and digital, says PHOs and GPs deal with privacy and consent processes on a daily basis, so they are well placed to know what is needed, and what works.

“This is why it is essential they are part of the discussion to ensure any potential risks are addressed upfront and provide assurances that patients are protected at all times,” she says.

“There are also existing successful SDHR models like HealthOne, so we need to learn from what we know works well and build on that to get national coverage.”

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