Technical standards

NHS Digital data and technology standards framework

This framework outlines the key standards for clinical safety, the use of data, interoperability and design interactions. Currently in beta (consultation – April 2020), it sets our new expectations around the use of data, interoperability, and design standards within the NHS.

Health developer network

Information and tools to help developers create software for health and social care. It provides guidance, tools and source code that may help you design new Digital Services and develop and make use of existing services.

Connected digital systems

This NHS England guidance provides information on a number of important areas including the Chief Clinical Information Officer’s 7 priority areas and NHS standard contract requirements.

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

All traffic traversing the internet should be encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.2 or better for secure communication.

Open API policy

Open application programme interfaces (APIs) have an important part to play in making the right information available to the right user at the right time, in an affordable and sustainable way.

Standards, guidance and support for digital teams

This NHSX guidance hosts NHSX owned content and signposts to a range of information and tools on other organisations’ websites. NHSX defines strategy and sets standards that are important in designing and developing Digital Services for health and social care. It covers areas including user experience, open standards, information governance and open source.

Open standards principles

This UK government resource sets out the principles of open standards, and their advantages. All government departments use the principles – Point 4 of the Technology Code of Practice states that you should ‘build technology that uses open standards to ensure your technology works and communicates with other technology, and is easily upgraded and expanded’.