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Emergency Department Digital Integration

As part of the NHS 111 First programme, the Emergency Department Digital Integration (EDDI) product will enable emergency department slot booking from 111 telephone and online services. This information is for healthcare professionals and NHS support staff who will be using the EDDI product.

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EDDI will be decommissioned

Emergency Department Digital Integration Service (EDDI) will be maintained until 31 March 2024. Due to the deprecated nature of the product, this is the final extension. The product will be decommissioned at this point.

Suppliers operating in this space will need to develop against the NHS Booking and Referral Standard.

Check the progress of your supplier.

If you're a patient, find out more about 111 online

Find out more about urgent and emergency care

Background

During the initial coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, there was a significant drop in the number of patients using emergency departments in England. At the same time, the use of the NHS 111 telephone and online services increased. However, since lockdown has eased, emergency departments have seen their numbers increase again, towards pre-coronavirus levels. 

To keep patients safe, we must ensure that:

  • emergency departments are reserved for emergency patients
  • patients that do not need to attend an emergency department are directed elsewhere
  • patients that need to access hospital services go directly to the appropriate department in the hospital and not via the emergency department 

NHS 111 makes it easier and safer for patients to get the right advice or treatment when they urgently need it and, increasingly, by being able to book direct appointments or time slots into a service that is right for them.

About the product

From December 2020, the EDDI product will enable NHS 111 providers to give patients a time slot to attend an emergency department. 

The system will allow the emergency department to control their capacity and monitor the number of patients arriving at a certain time.

The EDDI product is a web-based platform that can be accessed via any modern web browser. Patient information, including the clinical triage, will be sent via NHS 111 ITK CDA referral messages to the EDDI from 111 telephone and online systems.

How it works

A patient contacts the 111 telephone service or uses NHS 111 online and, following assessment, may be advised to go to an emergency department.

If they need the emergency department, they will be given a time window (two hours, for example) to arrive.

The emergency department staff will know the time slot in which the patient is due to arrive, and will have their health information.

Upon arrival at the emergency department, the patient will be checked in for their treatment.

News and events

Information for developers

The strategic direction for appointment booking (using the Care Connect standards) into emergency departments from NHS 111 remains system-to-system integration. This is the optimum solution - it will establish a stable, long-term platform and provide a seamless experience for users.

Information for developers can be found on the NHS API hub, including the Care Connect specification for urgent and emergency care appointment booking and the supplier conformance catalogue. 

National Service Desk

If you need to report an issue with EDDI to the National Service Desk, you can do so by either calling 0300 303 5035, emailing [email protected] or by logging a ticket on their self-service portal.

You need login credentials to access the portal. These can be requested by contacting us on the phone number or email address above.

Further information

internal EDDI smartcard roles and workgroups

Find out about the recommended minimum smartcard role or roles that users need to do the basic tasks of their profession in the Emergency Department Digital Integration (EDDI).

internal EDDI training and support

This page contains training and support materials for the Emergency Department Digital Integration (EDDI). This includes user guides and videos.

internal Transparency statement for EDDI patients

Our Emergency Department Digital Integration (EDDI) transparency notice explains why the service collects data, what we do with it, how long we keep it for and where it's stored.

internal EDDI cookie policy

Find out about the Emergency Department Digital Integration (EDDI) cookie policy.

Last edited: 5 December 2023 11:11 am