Integrating the National Care Records Service for system suppliers

The 1-Click Service has been replaced by a new solution that will launch NCRS from local patient record management systems, in context, using NCRS. The new solution will perform a similar function to the 1-Click Service but will provide users with extra functionality.

Health and social care staff can access and update patient and safeguarding information using NCRS.

Integrating NCRS uses a browser-based extension to local patient record management systems. It allows health and care professionals, with appropriate access, to click and launch Spine-authenticated applications in a separate window. It opens the complete suite of services available in NCRS to the end user.

This solution results in a more continuous user experience compared to using the NCRS alone, as users do not need to open a separate software application to access it.

Services currently available via integrating NCRS are the same as the stand alone NCRS solution:

• Personal Demographics Service (PDS)
• Summary Care Record (SCR)
• Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS)
• Reasonable Adjustment Flag
• National Record Locator (NRL)
• Female Genital Mutilation - Information Sharing (FGM IS)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination event information
• Overseas Visitors and Migrants (OVM)

It will also provide the ability to edit patient details and access the birth notification application.

Visit the NCRS roadmap to learn more.

An SCR should only be viewed if the health and care professional is involved in the patient's care. This is called a 'legitimate relationship'.

The patient should be asked for their permission before their SCR is viewed. This is called 'Permission to View'. Permission to View is designed to ensure that a patient has been informed about how their personal information is being used. It also allows the patient to determine who can view this information in the context of the care being provided to them.

The ways that health and social care operates are diverse and the approach to implementing Permission to View will vary. The Permission to View guidelines are available to support organisations to implement it effectively.

Users must be authenticated with the correct access rights enabled.

Health and care professionals should:

1. Authenticate and log on to their local system.
2. Choose the correct job role for accessing NCRS, if they have more than one job role.
3. Search for the patient, using NHS number, if possible.
4. Select the NCRS button to launch the integrated service in a new browser window.
5. Ask for the patient's permission to view the SCR and record it, or choose the emergency access option if the patient is unconscious or can't answer, and add a reason for access.

This requires less development effort than other SCR integration options since many of the functional requirements are already met by NCRS.

SCR context training

For those organisations new to SCR there is an ‘Open access session’ of e-learning available. The purpose of this training is to provide potential users of the system with an overview of the SCR and a step-by-step guide on how to use it, together with the elements that you need to be aware of to protect you and patients when accessing patient data. There are new sections relating to the enriched contents of SCR and video case studies to see where SCR can be, and is, used.

Summary Care Records interactive e-learning.

Privacy Officer

Organisations wishing to view SCRs must appoint and train a privacy officer for the organisation, who will monitor SCR access - for more information see information governance in SCR.

Useful resources

Summary Care Records (SCR) - NHS Digital.

Summary Care Records - Royal Pharmaceutical Society

The Child Protection - Information Sharing project (CP-IS) is helping health and social care staff to share information securely to better protect society's most vulnerable children.

More about the CP-IS - Implementation process for healthcare organisations.

The Reasonable Adjustment Flag is a national record which indicates that reasonable adjustments are required for an individual and optionally include details of their significant impairments and key adjustments that should be considered.

More about the Reasonable Adjustment Flag.

The NRL (National Record Locator) enables authorised users to find specific patient records that are held on different health care systems.

More about the National Record Locator.

The process will vary, but as a guide you will need to:

• discuss and agree sites where NCRS integration capability will be set up
• assess IT systems to find the best technical solutions
• decide what training staff need and how to provide it
• identify which staff should have access and make sure they have the correct Role Based Access Control codes on their Care Identity Service (CIS) profiles.

For organisations that wish to know more about the future utilisation of the capability and how integrating NCRS  complements and extends their existing care delivery, contact [email protected].

If you are interested in setting up your organisation so that your staff can view SCR information, contact the SCR team by completing our Summary Care Record new interest form.

If you want to integrate NCRS, you need to get your software approved by us before it can go live. We call this onboarding.

1. The first step is to submit your interest.
2. NHS Digital will provide a client pack including requirements, test scripts and test scenarios. 
3. Design and build your software.
4. Test your software.
5. Get your software onboarded via the Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL) - find out more about the full SCAL requirement.
6. Connect to Live.

The lightweight assurance process will ensure compliance with regulations and laws such as security, clinical safety, information governance.

You will need NHS Credential Management installed to authenticate and use NCRS in secure modern browsers.

To be updated.

Onboard using the Supplier Conformance Assessment List process.

For NCRS integrations we use the Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL) process for onboarding. Express your interest via our new interest form.