NHS patients will be assigned their own individual barcode to ensure they receive the right treatment, under plans to digitalise patients' records by 2020

Every NHS patient will be assigned their own barcode to ensure they receive the correct medication and treatment, under new plans set to be unveiled today.

The proposals are part of a package of measures aimed at ensuring the NHS is 'paperless' by 2020.

Patients will be able to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and access their GP records as well as manage diabetes, obesity, and their pregnancy via new NHS smartphone apps.

NHS England will also conduct a review into the feasibility of installing free Wi-Fi into all hospitals.

The Government says the proposals will make services 'safer, more effective and efficient'.

Tim Kelsey, NHS England's national director for patients and information, will make the announcement when he addresses 5,000 NHS leaders at the NHS Innovation Expo Conference in Manchester today.

He is expected to say: 'The NHS in England must end the unnecessary reliance on paper in the treatment of patients.

'It's key to making services safer, more effective and more efficient.'

The health service aims to become paper-free at the point of care within the next five years.

It means when patients turn up at appointments in both primary and secondary care, medics will have immediate access to their history, clinical notes and test results.

Furthermore, patients, pieces of medical equipment and drugs will be identified through barcode technology.

This is to ensure the right patient gets the correct drug and the right dosage at the right time.

The technology will also help prevent never events - those deemed so serious they should never happen, including leaving surgical equipment inside a patient during an operation.

Mr Kelsey will today say the NHS is ready to implement the new plans.

He will outline a time frame by which every clinical commissioning group (CCG) must deliver their plans to eradicate the use of paper.

And he will provide clarity on what is expected, issuing a set of key digital standards that healthcare providers must implement as part of their standard NHS contract.

We need to consign to the dustbin of history the industry in referral letters, the outdated use of fax machines and the trolleys groaning with patients' notes. As well as saving precious resources, technology can dramatically reduce errors Tim Kelsey, NHS England's national director for patients and information

By October, all discharge summaries for patients transferring from hospital to the care of their GP must be completed electronically.

NHS England said: 'This will help to ensure that a patient's transition out of hospital is as smooth and safe as possible and enable doctors and nurses to care for them more effectively straight away.'

Next year, this will be broadened out to include discharge to social care.

Trials have shown that giving GPs instant access to discharge summaries online reduces the risk of error, allowing doctors to immediately see what drugs their patients are on and what procedures they have had while in hospital.

The Government estimates the cost of storing and moving paper around the NHS is between £500,000 to £1 million for each trust - money which they say could be better invested in more doctors and nurses.

'Every day, care is held up and patients are kept waiting while an army of people transport and store huge quantities of paper round our healthcare system,' Mr Kelsey will say.

'This approach is past its sell by date.

'We need to consign to the dustbin of history the industry in referral letters, the outdated use of fax machines and the trolleys groaning with patients' notes.

'As well as saving precious resources, technology can dramatically reduce errors. Urgent action is a moral imperative where paper is the currency of clinical practice.'

The health service aims to become paper-free at the point of care within the next five years. It means when patients turn up at appointments in both primary and secondary care, medics will have immediate access to their history, clinical notes and test results

He will add: 'The NHS needs to get over the idea that we've had too many false starts and we can't do technology.

'While bringing our own systems into the digital age, we must do more to help the public and clinicians take advantage of the game-changing opportunities on offer to improve outcomes for patients.'

Last autumn, the NHS set out its bold vision for the future, outlining the change needed to bring the health service into the 21st century.

It included a more effective use of technology and data to support new and improved models for delivering patient care.

Health bosses say the evidence for digitalised records improving patient safety is 'clear'.

They point to the example of electronic prescribing systems, which support clinicians to ensure the right medication is provided to the right patient in the right dosage.

Those systems have halved medication errors, yet only 14 per cent of NHS trusts currently use the technology.

In addition, a study published in the British Medical Journal, found that death rates at two major hospitals fell by more than 15 per cent when nurses were given handheld computers to monitor patients' vital signs.