Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to extend the new records movement service, currently being piloted in West Yorkshire, to the rest of the country.

Capita is currently piloting a barcode tracking system for medical records in West Yorkshire. The pilot is intended to ensure that the system is proven before being rolled out across England. All feedback and evidence is being carefully reviewed by NHS England. NHS England’s interim assessment is that this system is working well and has improved the speed of the movement of records. A full review of the system is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017 after which a decision on the roll-out across England will be made.