Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH)

Summary

The Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) is the main messaging service used across health and social care, allowing health and care organisations to communicate securely.

Top tasks

MOLES portal
Track messages sent using MESH through the Messaging Online Enquiry Service

MESH client installation pack
Download all the files you need to install MESH

National Service Desk weblog tool
For new MESH account requests, support or technical queries raise a call to the National Service Desk (log-in and N3 access required)

The Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) is the main messaging service used across health and social care. It works on the Spine infrastructure. It's used to transfer electronic messages directly from one application to another, so different organisations can communicate securely. As an example, pathology labs use MESH to communicate test results to GP practices. MESH replaced the Data Transfer Service (DTS).

End users log into MESH either by using the MESH client, or through systems they use which have been integrated with MESH using the Application Programming Interface (API). In most cases the systems suppliers or IT administrators will handle the set-up of MESH for each organisation, and end users should get in touch with their organisation's IT contacts with any questions about the service.

Message tracking

Users can apply for an account to track and trace messages sent using MESH by using the MESH Online Enquiry Service (MOLES), a message tracking service hosted on Spine.

Messaging Service for Social Care

The Messaging Service for Social Care is being developed to extend the benefits of secure messaging and common information standards across health and care. A user interface (UI) accessed on the internet lets users send and receive messages using the Messaging Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) infrastructure.

The Messaging Service allows hospitals and adult social services to send and receive alerts that use the Assessment, Discharge and Withdrawal information standards to identify patients who may need adult social care when they leave hospital, in line with the Care Act 2014.

Testing

Systems suppliers and IT users can access a test client, the integration environment, which can also include access to a test version of the Message Tracking API.

Contact

For general enquiries and to be added to the distribution list for regular updates to service suppliers and users, email mesh@nhs.net.

For all other technical or service issues, raise a call with the National Service Desk on 0300 30 35 035.

Further information