It was encouraging to read news in Public Service magazine about Sweden’s progress in delivering its own version of the UK’s National Programme for IT – the National Patient Summary (NPÖ) – which will help Sweden’s health service improve healthcare whilst maintaining patient privacy and data security.

I say encouraging, because Sweden – like its Scandinavian neighbours – has an enviable record for its public services and state welfare, from health and social care through to education.  So for them to be looking to the UK for inspiration on how to better manage healthcare delivery, the NHS must be getting things right.

The goal to digitalise healthcare in Sweden will involve linking up 21 county councils, 290 municipalities and 6,000 private care providers to the NPÖ, a system that will improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, and ensure patients have greater access and control over their medical records, and security controls that will ensure peace of mind.

The healthcare challenges faced in Sweden are the same that we face here in the UK, amongst them that of an ageing population.  With an increasingly mobile population, an interoperable records system is vital to ensuring vital information flow between different care providers.

The effective flow of patient and clinical data is crucial in ensuring timely and joined-up care provision. Care providers at every stage, from the primary care setting through to acute, A&E and mental healthcare provision need accessible patient data, in order to delivery the high quality care we expect.

As other countries begin to follow the UK’s lead in developing national healthcare IT infrastructures, we should take the opportunity to look and learn from the progress and success they are witnessing, in order to continue to improve upon our own national system.  Closer collaboration and sharing of ideas can only lead to improved systems and improved outcomes, which has to be a good thing.