The government has announced that a common clinical language has been adopted across the NHS that could improve efficiency standards when sending and receiving patient records.

Management in Practice pointed out that the SNOMED CT system is already used for several parts of the health service, such as the 'Choose and Book' facility, but will now be utilised on a far wider scale.

Its adoption by people in primary, secondary, community, mental health and social care jobs was approved by the Information Standards Board for Health and Social Care this week, with the aim of enhancing record keeping and accuracy.

Health minister Simon Burns lauded the decision, saying: "The adoption of SNOMED CT is an important milestone and will mean clearer and consistent communication between hospitals and GPs. Having a standard language also helps patients better understand their care records."

The Department of Health highlighted that the system is available in more than 50 countries and pointed out that it allows for multilingual healthcare, as all records are held using known terms that can be shared easily.

Writing for the Irish Medical Times, Beauchamps Solicitors partner John Savage described SNOMED CT as one option for ensuring patient information is recorded in an unambiguous way.

He suggested electronic referrals have the potential to deliver cost-savings as well as a better standard of healthcare.