The government has announced the early launch of a single statutory body responsible for data and digital technology across the NHS.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that the transfer of NHS Digital’s functions into NHS England (NHSE) will happen in early January 2023, ahead of original plans for the transfer to happen in March 2023.

The department said the move will reduce the need for patients to repeatedly share information across the health system and enable the NHS to make more informed decisions around healthcare.

It added that the move would make the length of wait for treatment information more accessible to patients.

Accelerating the transfer will lead to improvements in cooperation between the key digital bodies of the NHS by bringing them under one roof for the first time, the DHSC said – a move which will ensure the health and care sector is “fully equipped to face the future and deliver for patients”.

In line with commitments made to parliament, NHS England will provide the same protections for people’s data as NHS Digital.

Subject to parliamentary approval, the proposal will see the statutory role of NHS Digital move to NHS England.

The DHSC said this is an important change to make sure that all the expertise and activity in relation to data and digital services are together in a single organisation and meets a key recommendation of Laura Wade-Gery’s review: Putting data, digital and tech at the heart of transforming the NHS.

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