Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made towards a paperless NHS; and if he will make a statement.

NHS England’s Patient Online programme team has been working closely with practices across England to ensure they have the support they need to confidently offer these online services.

From April 2015 the General Medical Services/Personal Medical Services contracts require all practices to offer and promote online booking of appointments, ordering of repeat prescriptions access to summary information within patient records (allergies, medications, adverse reactions) to patients.

Practices may also offer access to any other items of data agreed between the patient and the practice, such as test results, immunisations, consultations.

Progress as of September 2014:

- 99% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to book or cancel appointments online.

- 91% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to book or cancel appointments online. This is up from 64% at the same point in the previous year.

- 98% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to view or order repeat prescriptions online.

- 88% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to view or order repeat prescriptions online. This is up from 64% at the same point in the previous year.

- 84% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to view their medical record online.

- 21% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to view their medical records online. This is an increase against 2% at the same point in the previous year.