UK Politics
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Surely your actual "record" shouldn't change but the gender property on that record? As such you can change your gender (or name etc) as much as you want and your record is unaffected. From a book keeping / data management point of view that makes sense.
I suspect the real reason is that the NHS has a pretty shit record keeping system such that issuing new NHS numbers makes all that worse. I dunno, would you get a new NHS record if you changed your name? From a record keeping perspective isn't this the same?
Your NHS record has a gender marker that the system doesn't allow to be changed, so you need a completely new record (and number) to have it changed.
That sounds like a programming limitation that should be amended then, rather than requiring the re-issue of a new number just because somebody can’t be arsed to write the code to allow it to be changed.
The NHS systems are so antiquated at this point. They really need a complete re-write to be fit for purpose.
Exactly, sounds like they're making a mountain out of a stupidly simple record keeping change. Fucking idiots.
Oh I don't disagree with you. But creating a new record to consolidate several different ones is what you're describing. I'm saying when there should only be one you should just flip a bit on that record.
But this is typical NHS IT shit show. Why the fuck are they different systems in 2025? Why are we duplicating work with zero interoperability?
Because the last attempt to unify NHS systems into one central system (The National Program for IT aka NPfIT) turned into a typical mega-budget IT project that got nowhere?
What we should be prioritising is data interoperability standards that solutions can be qualified against so things work smoothly. Not giving one of the big contractors a frame contract that locks the whole NHS into a single provider for the next 20 years.
Agree, but yet we don't even have that. It's so backwards. I'd have a better chance if I asked my medical records to be faxed to me and I then posted them to my GP. And I don't even own a fax machine!
It should be changed, but it's worked like this for ages now and I doubt Streeting will push for this..