API platform case study - OVACtech Sermegon

OVACtech is a UK software start-up specialising in interoperability by using blockchain technology to enable data sharing between incompatible systems, thus improving communication outcomes.

Sermegon® is a cloud-based software solution that uses blockchain technology to enable disparate IT systems to exchange and make use of information in one single place without the need for complex and/or expensive integration programmes. Sermegon® centralises datasets from relevant multiple sources in one place, bringing together the necessary information required to facilitate efficient communication.

Sermegon® has been developed to address the needs of England’s 42 Integrated Care Systems to reduce delayed transfer of care by enabling organisations involved in the patient pathway to communicate and track progress while ensuring the patient is informed and involved.

For example, when a patient is discharged from hospital, it's important that their ongoing care needs are communicated to the relevant care providers, including social care. Sermegon® provides a way for local authority social workers to make sure that the right information goes to the right place.

When transferring patient data between care settings, Sermegon® needs to make sure it is using the right NHS number for the patient. For this, it uses the Personal Demographics Service FHIR API.

Ideally, Sermegon® would also be able to pass on basic clinical information, such as any allergies. The team are looking into whether they could use the Summary Care Record FHIR API for this.

The team found the online documentation in the developer and integration hub to be easy and straightforward to understand, with the JSON examples in the API specification facilitating the integration.

They also liked the fact that the API used signed JWTs for authorisation - they saw this as being more secure than alternatives they have seen elsewhere.

The various path-to-live environments made testing easy. The sandbox environment was ideal for early development because it was open access - no need to configure authorisation. The integration environment was perfect for formal testing because it mirrored the production environment with full authorisation. Moving from one environment to another was as easy as changing a single endpoint URL.

Help and support was practical and constructive and response to the team's queries were prompt - they used email support and also the new developer community.

Ngozi Fakeye, Programme and Change Director, said:

"Our solution's integration with the NHS Digital APIs was easier than expected. Most important to us was the support and quick responses received from the API team when we had questions or challenges, making the process very efficient."