The New South Wales government is actively considering a significant step towards modernising healthcare delivery by exploring the sharing of patient health records with the Australian Capital Territory. This initiative is planned to occur before the full implementation of NSW's statewide digital patient record system, scheduled for 2028.
Cross-Border Healthcare Collaboration
A spokesperson for NSW Health confirmed on Friday that the department is committed to facilitating secure record sharing with ACT Health. The approach will strictly comply with all relevant legislation and will require explicit patient consent before any information is exchanged.
"Ahead of the statewide rollout of the Single Digital Patient Record in 2028, NSW Health will work with ACT Health to look at options for sharing patient records to better support patients receiving care in both NSW and the ACT," the spokesperson stated.
This collaboration addresses a practical need, as NSW residents constitute approximately one-quarter of all admissions to Canberra hospitals. Southern NSW hospitals also regularly transfer patients to ACT facilities for specialised care.
Call for National Integration
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) recently published a report strongly advocating for the integration of state, territory, and federal health record systems. Associate Professor Julian Rait, AMA vice president, emphasised the urgent need for national legislation to mandate such sharing between jurisdictions.
"It would be far easier if the systems, particularly between the ACT and NSW, were enabled to [share records] so that they could communicate with each other," Dr Rait explained.
He highlighted that incompatible and isolated health record systems currently slow down patient care and increase the risk of medical errors. Effective record sharing would prevent unnecessary duplication of scans and tests while improving communication between different healthcare providers.
Challenges with Existing Systems
Despite operating for over a decade, the national My Health Record system faces significant adoption challenges. Currently, only one in ten medical specialists actively uses the platform, and merely twenty percent of diagnostic imaging reports are uploaded due to systemic inefficiencies and compatibility issues.
Dr Rait offered a critical assessment: "Someone's described the My Health Record as just like a box full of PDFs, and I think that's an accurate criticism. It's not really ideal for sharing detailed health information."
My Health Record, which transitioned to an opt-out system in mid-2025, contains information such as immunisation records, discharge summaries, and prescription history. The ACT government confirms that summary information from its own Digital Health Record is shared with this national system.
The ACT's Digital Health Record Experience
The ACT launched its integrated Digital Health Record in late 2022, consolidating forty separate paper and digital systems. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has stated that the software has transformed healthcare delivery within the territory.
However, the rollout has not been without controversy. Auditor-General Michael Harris described it as potentially "the most significant failure of governance" he had witnessed. Despite this, a survey by the Australian Medical Association ACT suggests most doctors have responded positively to the system.
According to reports in Canberra Doctor, sixty percent of eighty surveyed doctors reported improved workflow since implementation, while thirty percent said their workflow had worsened. Half of the respondents rated the system's usability as excellent or adequate, though one-third found it poor or unusable.
Further audits on the Digital Health Record are expected from the Auditor-General, and the system is also under examination as part of an independent inquiry into the ACT's broader health system.
Looking Towards a Connected Future
Dr Rait noted that the ACT is one of the few Australian jurisdictions to have implemented an integrated health record system, contrasting it with places like Victoria where some facilities still rely on paper records. He described an extreme example where clinical notes from an emergency department must be printed and physically carried to other departments, including intensive care units.
The NSW government's Single Digital Patient Record, to be hosted by Epic Systems—the same provider used by the ACT and the federal My Health Record—aims to replace hundreds of separate systems across public hospitals, community health centres, and pathology labs. The proposed collaboration with the ACT represents a proactive step towards creating a more seamless, efficient, and safer healthcare experience for patients who receive treatment across state and territory borders.
