Spine External Interface Specification (EIS)

The Spine EIS describes how to connect to the Spine national services via HL7 V3 APIs.

Overview

The Spine EIS (External Interface Specification) is a set of Word documents that provide system developers (architects, designers, and builders) with the necessary information to connect to the Spine national services via HL7 V3 APIs.

It does not give details of the format of specific messages - for that see the Spine Message Implementation Manual.

Note that many of these specifications and APIs are now superseded, for example:

HL7 V3 APIs are superseded by FHIR APIs, such as the Personal Demographics Service - HL7 V3 API by the Personal Demographic Service FHIR API
Spine Security Broker API is superseded by the NHS Care Identity Service 2 API

For individual API details, see the API catalogue.

These are Microsoft Word files. To request a different format, contact us.

EIS Part 1 - Introduction

An overview of audience, background, standards and specification conventions.

Part 1 - Intro

doc 499 KB

EIS Part 2 - Message Handling Service (MHS)

Explains how to build a Message Handling Service (MHS).

You must use an MHS to send correctly structured messages to and from Spine services.

Part 2 - MHS

doc 622 KB

EIS Part 3 - Message Interaction Map

Includes tables of all Spine interactions. In each case it describes the interaction type; for example, synchronous or asynchronous.

Part 3 - Message Interaction Map

doc 587 KB

EIS Part 4 - Gazetteer Service

Explains how to use the Gazetteer Service, which supports the validation or retrieval of UK-based addresses.

Part 4 - Gazetteer Service

doc 208 KB

EIS Part 5 - Spine Directory Services (SDS)

Describes the external interfaces necessary for systems to obtain information from the Spine Directory Services (SDS). SDS provides details of organisations, people and systems registered with the Spine.

Part 5 - SDS

doc 3 MB

EIS Part 5 - additional notes on Accredited System attributes

EIS Part 5, section 5.5.2.4 describes the LDAP object class for an Accredited System.

We've added the following attribute to the nhsAs object class:

Data Item	LDAP Attribute	Cardinality	Description
Manufacturer Organisation Code	nhsMhsManufacturerOrg	1	ODS Code of the supplier whose product is registered on the endpoint associated with the Accredited System

EIS Part 6 - Spine Security Broker (SSB)

Describes the external interfaces required by system implementers to access the Spine Security Broker (SSB) to implement single sign-on.

Part 6 - SSB

doc 2 MB

EIS Part 7 - Spine Security Broker (SSB) API

Includes the formal specification of SSB Java and C APIs.

Part - 7 SSB API

doc 918 KB

EIS Parts 8, 9 and 10

These parts have been withdrawn.

EIS Part 11 - Access Control Service

Describes the additional Access Control Framework (ACF) subsystem service provided by Spine. Specifically, it covers the requirements for the web services to support resource-based access control maintenance and query.

Primarily used for Summary Care Record (SCR) consent.