NHS Care Identity Service roadmap
Future changes planned and past changes delivered for NHS Care Identity Service.
Strategy
Care Identity Service is currently undergoing a number of improvements and the rollout of updates services under the Identity and Access Management programme.
Our main objectives are:
- replace the legacy and HSCN dependent services with modern standard based services that work over the internet
- offer users a variety of options for authenticating into national clinical information systems
- maintain secure and reliable access to national clinical information systems
- shorten the feedback loop to better understand our users and prioritise our backlog of improvements
- increase the availability of self-service capabilities to make it more convenient for users
Roadmap
The Care Identity Service roadmap outlines a number of upcoming changes that we are researching or planning to deliver in the coming months.
Its aim is to make it easier to understand and encourage teams to work together to improve access to national clinical information.
This roadmap was last reviewed by the team on 10 July 2026.
- Bespoke Robot and Temporary Access profile creation flows
- Non-smartcard authenticator registration reporting
- Secure Robot Authentication v.1.3
- Passkeys authenticator
- Improved Apply for Care ID rejection flow
- CIS1 Authentication reduction to no service level (reasonable endeavours)
- Healthcare Worker API (private beta)
- Identity uplift available via Apply for Care ID
- New 'Find your Registration Authority' service
- Blocking all retired Identity Agent versions from authentication
- Blocking series 4, 5 and 6 smartcards from authentication
- Smartcard Connect v4.2
- Series 10 smartcards
- Non-smartcard authenticator authentication reporting
- Robot and Temporary Access profile migration
- AAL3 passkeys app (Android)
- AAL3 passkeys app (iOS)
- Enhanced ID verification flow in Apply for Care ID
- Switch off SHA-1 and migration to SHA-2 (smartcards)
- Switch off SHA-1 and migration to SHA-2 (digital signature service - all authenticators)
- CIS2 Authentication backend upgrades
- Blocking of retired smartcard software
- Self-service position claims (private beta)
- Self-service authenticator removal
- Enhanced self-service authenticator registration processes
- Role reviews and technical restrictions
- Updated email domain additions process
- Ongoing monitoring and enhancement to service reliability and stability
- Extending the use cases of Healthcare Worker API
- RPA authentication new version
- Smartcard Connect new version
- CIS1 Authentication retirement (including all Identity Agents and other products dependent on CIS1 Authentication)
- Enhancements to CIS2 Authentication notifications and in-journey messaging
- Review of CIS2 Authentication session management
- Updated National Registration Authority policy
- Removal of 'Local Smartcard Administrator' role
- Increased Apply for Care ID coverage
- NHS single sign-on
- NHS Staff Index
- Improved integration between Care Identity Management and Apply for Care ID
- Improved search functionality in Care Identity Management
- Deprecation and retirement of SDS LDAP API
- Review of Care Identity Management reporting architecture, and existing reports
- Registration Authority hierarchy changes
- Review and update of National RBAC database
- Email subscription management
Release history
To find the latest updates and releases from across the Care Identity Service, visit our release hub.
Get involved
To discuss and provide input to our strategy and roadmap, contact us.
Last edited: 10 July 2026 3:35 pm