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A to Z of developer resources
Find guidance and resources for developers integrating NHS services. You might also be interested in our API catalogue.
A
Assessment Discharge and Withdrawal - FHIR API
The Assessment Discharge and Withdrawal (ADW) specification defines a number of messages to support the exchange of structured information between healthcare and social care organisations.
C
Checksum help - developer guidance
A checksum is a short list of characters that we derive from the content of a release’s .zip file. If you have the checksum of a release file you can check that your downloaded copy is identical to ours.
Child Protection - Information Sharing - Domain Message Specification
Information for developers - message definitions and interactions required to support the rollout of the Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS) system.
Clinical decision support API
Implementation guidance for the clinical decision support APIs.
Clinical documents: document header
FHIR profiles for the exchange of clinical documents: document header.
Clinical documents: end of life care document
FHIR profiles for the exchange of clinical documents: end of life care document.
D
Demographic update event messages
Demographic update event messages are intended to provide updates made to demographic information held by the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).
Diagnostic Data Service: Guidance for developers
Diagnostic Data Service developer resources
Digital child health messages
Information required to build and send the Digital Child Health event messages.
Digital maternity specifications - developer guidance
The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has produced a standard for maternity care records, which will mean that information from a record can be understood by all IT systems in use across the country, enabling the seamless exchange of information regardless of local maternity system boundary.
Digital Medicine - FHIR API
The digital medicines specification supports FHIR messages to support pharmacy information flows.
Directory of Services API suite
APIs provided by the Directory of Services for accessing service information.
Document header - Clinical Document Architecture on FHIR
DEPRECATED: Generic document header FHIR specification
Dose syntax implementation guidance for FHIR - experimental
FHIR dose syntax implementation guidance. Use of the dosage structure within CareConnect profiles.
E
End of life API
Information required to build and send the End of Life atomic units of information.
EPS: Guidance for developers
We've published a range of developer guides and materials for the Electronic Prescription Service, including information on apps, identifiers, APIs and service integration.
EPS Dispensers Directory of Service API
API providing information about EPS dispensing services, and includes search functionality which lists dispensers who should be able to provide dispensing services for a patient with a given location and urgency.
e-RS: Guidance for developers
We've published a range of developer guides and materials for e-RS, including information on apps, identifiers, APIs and service integration.
F
Falsified Medicines Directive implementation toolkits
The Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) is a set of rules to protect people from fake medicines in the European Union (EU). It includes additional anti-tampering security on packaging, and tracking of medicines using a unique identifier, like a barcode.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) API
Messaging for the national Female Genital Mutilation Risk Indication System.
FHIR Reference Server
This FHIR server acts as a reference server for all nationally defined FHIR profiles and valuesets for use across a range of local and national FHIR implementations.
G
General Practice Extraction Service DMS: Guidance for developers
Find out about the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) Domain Message Specification.
Glossary of developer terms
Find a list of NHS developer terms and abbreviations, along with their definitions.
GP Connect specifications for developers
GP Connect specifications for developers and associated artefacts.
I
Integrated Urgent Care Domain Message Specification
The Integrated Urgent Care Domain Message Specification is an agreed set of standards for sending information between providers. It is designed to support services such as NHS 111, NHS 111 online, and the repeat caller service.
Interoperability Toolkit: Guidance for developers
A collection of software developer resources.
M
Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) API
The Message Exchange for Social care and Health (MESH) component of the Spine allows messages and files to be delivered to registered recipients. This is the HTTP API used by MESH.
Message Implementation Manuals (MiMs)
The Message Implementation Manual (MiM) is the formal specification of the HL7v3 messaging on the Spine.
N
National Data Opt-Out programme FHIR API
The National Data Opt-out Programme has defined an API to capture a patient's preferences for use of their data, which will be held in a national data store on the Spine. Initially, this API will be used by a new national portal, but in future it will be made available to other consumers to manage these preferences for a patient.
National Early Warning Score (NEWS)2
Is the latest version of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), this improves the detection and response to clinical deterioration in patients and is a key element of patient safety and improving patient outcomes.
National Events Management Service (NEMS) specification
Information required to publish, subscribe and receive event messages to and from the National Events Management Service.
National Pathology FHIR messaging specifications
The National Pathology FHIR Messaging Specification supports the ability to share pathology results in NHS primary and secondary care settings. This release focuses on haematology and clinical biochemistry (also known as chemical pathology) test reporting.
National Population Failsafe Management Service
The National Failsafe Management Service (NPFMS) is a digital system for population tracking and screening.
National Record Locator (NRL) FHIR API
The National Record Locator aims to provide healthcare professionals and providers with a facility to identify and locate 'local' patient records which have been registered on the service.
NHAIS developer document library
This information aims to help GP IT suppliers to understand NHAIS GP links requirements, and may be useful to architects and designers who wish to understand which messages have been deprecated since the original requirements were issued.
NHS login integration toolkit
This toolkit helps digital health and social care services integrate with NHS login.
NHSmail applications guide
Guidance on how to configure local mail-enabled applications to work with NHSmail.
NHS Number client
Find out about our simple client and java code library, designed to make it easier to model NHS Numbers in software.
O
Organisation Data Service: Guidance for developers
Find developer guidance for the Organisation Data Service (ODS), including information on the ODS API Suite and ORD XML supporting products.
S
Signatures and public keys
How to use signature and the public key to check a checksum release.
Spine Core FHIR API Framework
The Spine Core FHIR API Framework provides common behaviours and services used across FHIR APIs delivered on Spine. This specification also covers other Spine services that complement or are used alongside Spine FHIR APIs.
Spine Mini Service Provider for Personal Demographics Service
The NHS Digital Spine Mini Service Provider (SMSP) lets health and social care providers access important information held on Spine. It aims to reduce the complexities around integration with the Spine.
Spine Mini Services APIs
A brief introduction to getting started with the Spine mini services APIs.
T
Transaction Messaging Service Java implementation
TMS Java implementation contains a set of tools for network operations on Spine.
Transaction Messaging Service Microsoft .NET implementation
This package contains an implementation of a Spine message handler written in C# for the Microsoft .Net 4.0 platform, provided under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Transfer of Care - FHIR API
The Transfer Of Care (TOC) specifications contain new and previous versions of Acute Inpatient Discharge, Emergency Care Discharge, Mental Health Discharge, Outpatient Clinic Letter.
U
Urgent & Emergency Care Appointment Booking
Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Appointment Booking describes how to implement end-to-end booking workflows for UEC patient journeys.