James Murray

I very much join my hon. Friend in urging the new Health Minister in Wales to follow our lead by introducing a way for patients to access the data and, crucially, for clinicians to be able to see all a patient’s data when making those decisions. With complex cases, where people see multiple nurses, doctors, consultants and so on, it can be crucial that clinicians see all the relevant information when making choices on how to treat their patients. I thank my hon. Friend very much for her question. Madam Deputy Speaker, I should make some progress, as I know that many Members wish to speak this evening. I am getting a nod from you that that is the right thing to do. As I have set out how the single patient record will help to improve patient safety, I also want to be clear that no Government should ever pretend that things do not go wrong. When they do, it is crucial that the right systems are in place to hold people accountable, and to ensure that we learn from mistakes in order to prevent them from happening again. As I mentioned earlier, Dr Penny Dash conducted an independent review into the patient safety landscape. What she found was a confusing landscape of multiple, overlapping organisations that are responsible for patient safety in the NHS, making it harder for staff and organisations to do the right thing. That is why the Bill simplifies the patient safety landscape, streamlining and consolidating functions to make the system more effective and efficient, and to restore patient confidence.