NHS login API

Use this API to enable patients and the public to access multiple digital health and social care services with NHS login, a single re-usable login.

You benefit from:

• using a trusted and secured identity platform
• choosing a proper level of end user verification
• displaying a brand name the public recognises
• meeting the Identity Verification and Authentication Standard (DCB3051)

For more details, see NHS Login: guidance for partners and developers.

This API can only be used where there is a legal basis to do so. Make sure you have a valid use case and review if the NHS login fits your needs before you go too far with your development.

You must do this before you can go live (see 'Onboarding' below).

• NHS CIS2 Care Identity Authentication API - use this API to verify the identity of healthcare workers in England, such as NHS staff, when they access national clinical information systems, using the NHS Care Identity Service 2 (CIS2)

This API is in production.

To find out what we are working on now and what we plan to do in the future, see the Roadmap.

This API is a silver plus service, meaning it is operational 24 x 7 x 365 but only supported during business hours (8am to 6pm), Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. However, we respond to severity 1 and severity 2 incidents outside of business hours.

For more details, see service levels.

This API uses OpenID Connect 1.0 (OIDC) authentication standard which is a simple identity layer on top of the OAuth 2.0 protocol.

For guidance on OIDC 1.0 and how to to verify the identity of patients and obtain their basic profile information, see The OIDC login flow.

This API is available on the internet and, indirectly, on the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN).

For more details see Network access for APIs.

The security model for this API conforms to OpenID Connect 1.0 (OIDC). 

For security and authentication details, see section 7 Partner Services and Security in the NHS login External Interface Specification. 

For details on different environments and associated testing, see the NHS login integration toolkit.

You need to get your software approved by NHS login before it can go live with this API. We call this onboarding. The onboarding process can sometimes be quite long, so it’s worth planning well ahead.

For onboarding with NHS login, follow the guidance available at:

• Apply for NHS login
• Discovery
• Integrate
• Go live and support

For interaction details, see section 5 Data view in the NHS login External Interface Specification.