We created the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) in 2013, intentionally independently of the NHS and government.  PRSB is the UK’s authority on specification of clinical data recording standards for health and social care. Since then, PRSB has successfully provided an expert service to the NHS, 4 nations and industry.  We, the undersigned, make up some of the 180 member and industry partners, supporting PRSB in clinical information standards that are now used routinely across the health and care system.

We want to help the government build an NHS fit for the future. Using consistent and front-line endorsed clinical information standards will accelerate the transformation of the NHS, unlocking productivity and enabling delivery of integrated person-centred care.  All three strategic shifts envisioned for the NHS 10 Year Plan depend on high-quality data: hospital to community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention.   The impact of inadequately recording high quality, standardised data is more unnecessary A&E visits, unsafe transfers of care, readmissions, and delayed discharges – yet by using standardised data we can improve patient safety, save staff time, and deliver better outcomes.

The future of PRSB and high-quality data is at risk

PRSB’s work has been primarily funded by NHS England.  Their funding for PRSB’s services to engage professional bodies and maintain clinically safe standards will cease in December 2025 with NHS England intending to develop and maintain these in-house.

As members of the PRSB, we believe that removing independent clinical and technical expertise and dis-establishing a trusted, cross-sector community network will reduce the momentum behind digital transformation, and the consequences will be felt across the health and care system, by doctors and nurses, allied health professionals, social care professionals and, most importantly, by patients and service users.

With high quality data at the centre of government policy, enabling better care and supporting innovation and life sciences it does not make sense to remove funding from the only organisation trusted by us to specify our requirements.

The PRSB has played a unique role in uniting clinicians, patients, carers, and system leaders to develop safe, consistent data standards. If it ceases to exist, we risk losing both critical capability and the hard-won trust that underpins successful, joined-up digital care for the 10-year plan.