Delay of SDHR until December a ‘positive move’

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

GP leaders have welcomed the revised timeline for the Shared Digital Health Record (SDHR) until December, saying it gives more time for engagement with primary care providers and patients.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has moved the implementation back from June 2025 to December, saying it is “more realistic” due to “various internal and external factors”.

The SDHR is a data service designed to securely share patient data across the healthcare system, eventually enabling healthcare providers nationwide to access and update core health information including allergies, adverse reactions, conditions, encounters, and observations.

Clinical director at ProCare PHO Allan Moffitt previously told eHealthNews he strongly supports the concept of a SDHR, but was concerned about limited engagement about the new shared record with GPs and patients.

Moffitt says the announcement of a delay is a positive move and it is good to see the start of more engagement with the sector.

GPNZ head of strategy and engagement – data and digital, Amanda Webb, says the organisation continues to work closely with Te Whatu Ora on the SDHR programme, emphasising the need for ongoing primary care sector engagement and communication. 

“The revised timeframe provides a more realistic timeframe for the work ahead, including addressing privacy and security requirements, working with primary care providers who opt in, and shaping clear communications and awareness for patients,” she says.

An update from Health NZ in May said the go-live of the SDHR would enhance and increase coverage of existing regional shared electronic health records (SEHRs) and will not include implementation for general practice.

Health NZ Digital Services says under the revised timeline, it will work with primary care providers who opt in, to collect and share read-only versions of data held in practice management systems (PMSs) and make this accessible through existing SEHRs.

The delay also gives more time to confirm privacy and security requirements, such as advising patients about data collection, and working with sector partners on consumer and sector engagement.

The SDHR will be a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources FHIR - based data service and application programming interfaces (APIs) will be made available on the Digital Services Hub. 

Work on the revised timeline includes SDHR APIs becoming available on the Digital Services Hub, as well as onboarding primary care providers and existing SEHRs to the these APIs.

“The project had been aiming for a June 2025 production readiness date. However various internal and external factors mean a December 2025 timeline is now more realistic,” a statement says.

More detail will be provided by Digital Services in the coming weeks.

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