Nine new tools and services to use NHS login
NHS login – the service providing patients with a secure, simple way to identify themselves and match them to their records – will be used by nine more services.
This represents a real leap forward in the vision to enable patients to access a range of digital healthcare services using a single, secure login.
This will take the total number of products and services using NHS login to 14. NHS login is already live in:
- Sitekit’s ‘eRedbook’ which enables parents to manage their child’s health and development digitally
- online GP consultation platform eConsult
- Leeds Helm – a person held record being developed in Leeds which enables people to contribute to their own health and care record
- the NHS App
It will also be going live soon in Tiny Medical Apps’ ‘Digital Health Passport’ – an app that helps teenagers manage long-term conditions like asthma.
NHS login has over 117,000 user accounts – a figure that is growing rapidly, and which more than doubled during the month of June.
It is a prime example of the approach laid out by the NHS Long Term Plan and Secretary of State’s vision, using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs – the means through which different pieces of software can interact and integrate) to enable innovators to plug in and use the service to benefit patients and healthcare professionals.
The next nine products and services set to begin working with NHS login are:
- Evergreen Life – a GP online services app connected with three major GP systems in England
- myGP – also a GP online services app provided by iPlato Healthcare. The app provides appointment booking, patient triage, two-way messaging, health tracking, prescription ordering and video consultation to 59 CCGs nationwide.
- Subtrakt Health – a tech company working with the NHS to transform primary care services developing digital services for patients and clinicians, including Patient Pack – an online GP services and video consultations platform
- Lincus Digital Health – a platform developed by Rescon Technologies providing online consultation, health record access and management tools for patients and clinicians
- Mjog Messenger – a health messaging app for patients used by thousands of GPs to deliver health information, health advice and access to specialist online health services
- ‘Ask NHS’ powered by Sensely – an app used by over 220,000 patients which points users to relevant NHS services and provides healthcare advice
- AccuRx – a communication platform used by over 2000 GP practices to send messages to their patients
- Patient Access – an app which connects patients to their GP surgery and healthcare service
- NHS eReferrals Service (e-RS) – the system rolled out by the NHS combining electronic booking with a choice of place, date and time for first hospital or clinic appointments
NHS login allows organisations to be sure their users are who they say they are, providing a secure authentication programme which meets high standards of safety. It enables users to choose a level of user verification appropriate to their service. It is also better for patients who can use one login to securely access a range of services.
Dr Simon Eccles, chief clinical information officer and deputy chief executive of NHSX, said: “Digital tools like the NHS App are putting the NHS into the pocket of everyone in England, and by enabling other products to use our secure login feature the NHS is helping even more patients to simply and safely take control of their own health delivering on commitments in the Long Term Plan.
“NHSX is working with the market at a national level to create a platform of digital tools like NHS Login that can be built on by digital health innovators.”
Ian Phoenix, Director of Citizen Health Technology at NHS Digital, said: “It is great to have worked in partnership with the initial pilot companies to get to the stage that they are live with NHS login. We’ll continue to learn as we work with the next nine partners, so that we can shape our new partner integration toolkit, which is set to go live this autumn.
“There are dozens more organisations expressing an interest in getting NHS login too, so our ambitions are high.
“There is much more to do but we have reached an important step on the journey to join up great digital solutions to our national platforms.”
Dr Murray Ellender, Chief Executive Officer, GP and Co-Founder of eConsult, said: “Our work with the NHS login has gone incredibly well. We share a common goal: wherever you are registered as a patient, you should benefit from a brilliant digital experience.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- NHS login enables patients to create a single account with which they can access numerous different services, with a one-time simple sign up process. It provides peace of mind that patients’ data is secure.
- How NHS login works:
Patients can create a safe, secure NHS login account simply and quickly, usually from the comfort of their own sofa. They are asked to provide an email address (to which an email is sent with a ‘verification’ link the user is asked to click) and create a password. They then provide a mobile phone number to which a 6-digit security code is sent as part of a two-factor authentication process. The final stage of verification when setting up an account is through providing photo ID and recording a short video, used by a Home Office trained team to verify the user’s identity. More detail is available here: - Products already live:
Sitekit’s eRedbook: https://www.eredbook.org.uk
Leeds Helm: https://ripple.foundation/tag/helm
eConsult: https://econsult.net
Soon to go live:
Tiny Health Passport https://tinymedicalapps.com
- The NHS login integration toolkit is being developed to enable future partners to assess if NHS login is suitable for their product and to enable partners to self-serve the integration process as much as possible. This will mean that partners can work to integrate when they are ready to do so and at their own pace
