Semble & ORB launch NHS GP record link for private care

Semble and ORB have launched an integration that gives private healthcare clinicians access to consenting patients' NHS GP records within Semble. The link is the first of its kind in private healthcare, according to the companies.

The integration combines ORB's NHS data access with Semble's practice management system, allowing clinicians to view a patient's live GP record without leaving the platform. Records available through the service include consultations and problem lists, current and previous medications, allergies, investigations and test results, immunisations, clinical correspondence, hospital discharge summaries and scans.

Private providers have often relied on GP summaries requested from surgeries, a process that can take weeks or longer and may provide only a static snapshot of a patient's history. The new arrangement is intended to replace that with direct access to real-time information when a patient has granted permission.

Patients use their NHS login to link their GP record to ORB, which then makes the record visible to clinicians in Semble through the integration. Patients remain in control of access and can decide when their information is shared, the companies said.

The launch addresses a long-standing gap between NHS and private healthcare systems, where clinicians in one setting may have limited visibility of treatment, prescriptions or test results recorded in the other. That can leave private practitioners dependent on patient recollection or delayed paperwork when making decisions on diagnosis, prescribing and treatment planning.

Semble said its platform is used daily by 18,000 healthcare professionals and supports more than 1,700 healthcare businesses across 80 specialties. More than 10 million patients have received care from a clinician using its software, it added.

ORB was founded by two practising UK doctors and focuses on consent-led access to NHS GP records for organisations outside NHS boundaries, including private hospitals, clinics and insurers. Its system provides real-time access to the full electronic GP record rather than an abridged summary, according to the company.

Clinical access

The records link comes as healthcare providers face increasing pressure to reduce fragmented care and avoid information gaps between organisations. Access to complete medication histories, allergy records and recent test results can be particularly important when patients move between NHS and private treatment pathways.

Dr Danny Glover outlined the rationale for the service in remarks accompanying the launch.

"ORB was founded from a personal frustration I experienced as a practising clinician working across the NHS, private health and elite sports: too often, NHS information is locked in silos and health information is fragmented. It delays decisions and makes care harder than it needs to be. Before ORB, private clinics and hospitals could wait months for a static, abridged 'GP summary' - a snapshot that was already out of date by the time it arrived," said Dr Danny Glover, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of ORB.

"ORB changes that. We give healthcare organisations outside NHS boundaries rapid, secure access to real-time NHS GP records, with the patient's consent. Semble, as the leading healthcare management platform, was an obvious partner choice for us. Semble customers can now access important NHS information before, during or after a consultation, in real time. It gives clinicians access to the patient's full medical history, not just a summary," Glover added.

For Semble, the deal expands the information available inside its software at a time when more care is being delivered across mixed public and private pathways. The company presented the move as a way to bring records into the normal clinical workflow, rather than requiring staff to use separate systems or request records manually.

Christoph Lippuner said the aim was to remove the divide between public and private medical histories.

"As the line between the NHS and private sector continues to blur, healthcare is becoming more complex and distributed, but clinicians still need to see the patient as one person. You shouldn't have an NHS version of somebody's medical history and a private version when safe care depends on understanding and interpreting both.

"By bringing NHS information directly into the clinical workflow, we're connecting clinicians, patients, systems and information so that care can work as one joined-up service - providing a more complete picture without adding another system or process to their day. And by putting consent in the patient's hands, we're not just connecting data - we're giving professionals the context they need to deliver safer, better-informed care," said Christoph Lippuner, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Semble.

Patient safety

The companies linked the launch to patient safety concerns, particularly when clinicians treat patients without access to current records. Missing information on allergies, conflicting medicines or previous investigations can affect both urgent decisions and routine consultations.

Dr Keith Grimes, a former GP and Digital Health and Innovation Consultant, highlighted that risk.

"As a former urgent care GP, I know that treating a patient without their record is a known source of avoidable harm. Consented, patient-controlled access to the GP record at the point of care helps close a gap that has been open for a long time," said Dr Keith Grimes.

Beyond clinical use, the integration may also reduce administrative work for private practices by cutting the time spent requesting records from GP surgeries or repeatedly collecting medical histories from patients.