Administrative pressures are continuing to constrain growth across the UK's private healthcare sector, with 84% of healthcare leaders reporting that administrative workloads are limiting their ability to scale services, according to recent research from Semble, which also found that 92% of private healthcare leaders say their administrative teams are already at full stretch or handling more work than they can manage.
To help reduce healthcare's administrative burdens and simplify clinical workflows, Semble is introducing a free trial of its existing integration with ORB until 30th November 2026, alongside greater flexibility for practices to choose which clinicians can use it. The integration enables clinicians to securely access consenting patients' live NHS GP records directly within their existing workflow.
Simplifying access to NHS records
For private healthcare providers, obtaining NHS patient records can take weeks or even months, leaving clinicians reliant on incomplete medical histories or patients' recollections of previous treatments, medications and allergies. By bringing live NHS GP records directly into Semble, the integration helps reduce the time spent requesting information and gives clinicians a more complete picture of a patient's health.
Dr Jenny Williams, Senior Product Manager at Semble and former GP, commented: “Having worked as a GP, I know how important it is to have the right information available when making clinical decisions. But getting hold of records from across different healthcare settings can be slow and frustrating, creating extra admin for clinicians and sometimes delaying decisions about a patient’s care.
“Bringing NHS GP records directly into Semble gives clinicians easier access to important information at the point they need it, reducing the need to chase records or depend on patients remembering the detail of their medical history. We’re offering free access to Orb Connect until the end of November so more practices can see first-hand the difference that easier access to NHS GP records can make, with the flexibility to introduce it at a pace that works for their teams."
Following feedback from beta customers, Semble has also introduced greater flexibility in how practices use the integration. Rather than requiring access for their entire clinical team, practices can now select individual clinicians, allowing them to start with those who need it most and expand access as required.
Patients can securely authorise access to their NHS GP records using their NHS login and withdraw consent at any time. The ORB integration will be available to all Semble customers from 28th October, free of charge until 30th November 2026. From 1st December, charges will automatically apply for clinicians who continue to have access enabled.
