In England, shared care records bring information together across participating organisations; Summary Care Record (SCR) is a national summary drawn from GP records. DHSC’s May 2026 Single Patient Record fact sheet describes a plan to connect existing systems. These names refer to different information scopes and delivery stages. Shared-record guidance, Summary Care Record documentation, Single Patient Record fact sheet
For professional teams, the useful comparison starts with which information a record contains and who can access it.
Three names, three different scopes
The table compares documented information scope and service or policy status. It draws on NHS service and information-governance documentation alongside DHSC’s dated fact sheet, keeping local variation and proposed milestones explicit.
| Record | Documented scope | Status and access boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Shared care records | Information shared between participating health and care organisations, with local agreements | Services vary by area; the framework covers sharing within and across shared-record areas |
| Summary Care Record (SCR) | A national record of important information drawn from GP records | Authorised staff use it for direct care through supported applications |
| Single Patient Record | A policy ambition to connect existing sources and make information available to patients and relevant professionals | The May 2026 fact sheet describes future milestones; it does not verify their delivery |
Sources: Shared-record framework, SCR service, DHSC policy description.
An electronic patient record used by one organisation is another source system. DHSC’s stated approach is to connect existing systems where possible, including shared care records, rather than replace them all with a new record. DHSC’s proposed approach
Shared care records: local information and governance
The NHS framework places controllership locally and uses agreements to define information sharing and access. It distinguishes sharing within a shared-record area from sharing across geographical boundaries. A common framework therefore does not establish identical data or access in every location. Framework executive summary
The detailed requirements describe organisations working as joint controllers and documenting their respective responsibilities. They also call for access linked to a legitimate relationship with the person receiving care, limited to relevant and proportionate information. Technical access and the documented purpose for using information are separate considerations. Controllership and access requirements
For staff, the overview highlights local training, patient choices, subject-access-request processes and public communication. It says access is recorded in an audit trail. These are published responsibilities; this article has not assessed how any particular local service implements them. Staff guidance
Summary Care Record: a national GP-derived summary
SCR contains important information such as medicines, allergies and previous adverse reactions, drawn from the GP record. NHS documentation also describes additional information, including significant medical history and communication needs, subject to recorded sharing preferences. It is not presented as the patient’s full record. Information held in SCR
Staff view it through user-facing applications, including the National Care Records Service or local clinical applications. The usage policy calls for a legitimate care relationship and permission to view; it describes a best-interests route when permission cannot be sought. Those SCR arrangements should not be assumed to define every shared-record service. SCR access and usage policy
Record access and data reuse are different questions
The shared-record IG overview distinguishes use for individual care from purposes such as research or service planning. It says the national data opt-out does not apply to sharing for individual care, while describing its application when confidential information is used beyond individual care. It separately describes locally considered objections to shared-record processing. Patient choices and data-use scope
The requirements also distinguish data-protection conditions from the common-law duty of confidentiality. A label such as “consent” or “opt-out” needs its service and purpose attached; it cannot describe all these arrangements at once. Legal requirements and confidentiality
Single Patient Record milestones remain dated policy statements
DHSC’s 19 May 2026 fact sheet describes connecting existing shared records, starting with maternity and frailty pathways. It states an ambition for improved clinician access by March 2027 and patient access through the NHS App from 2028. These are the document’s stated plans, not rollout results established by this article. Building the Single Patient Record
That distinction also matters when discussing the NHS App. Our NHS App usage analysis measures recorded activity; those numbers do not establish availability or completeness of a future national record.
The comparison here explains documented service boundaries. It does not verify any clinician’s access, the completeness of a person’s information or the legal basis of a local data-sharing arrangement.