Open Exeter is an IT platform used by the NHS in England and Isle of Man to deliver cervical screening and to access the Bowel Cancer Screening Service (BCSS), Breast Screening Select (BS-Select) and Breast Screening Information System (BSIS).
The Open Exeter cervical screening functionality is being replaced by the new Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) in 2024.
Access to Bowel Cancer Screening Service (BCSS), Breast Screening Select (BS-Select) and Breast Screening Information System (BSIS) is moving to user authentication via CIS2 and smart cards in 2024.
Open Exeter will be closed and decommissioned in 2024 – the following provides details of replacement services.
Cervical screening
As part of our plans to decommission Open Exeter, we are planning on moving Cervical Screening call/recall services to a new product called Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS).
A system letter was distributed in September, and we are now asking Cervical Screening users to ensure they are ready for CSMS when it arrives in Q4 23/24. To find out what you need to do please visit the Guidance for system users page.
Bowel cancer screening
The Bowel Cancer Screening System (BCSS) is changing the way its users authenticate their identity. BCSS users will no longer login via Open Exeter. BCSS is going to move to user authentication via CIS2 and smartcards.
Following a successful pilot, rollout to the rest of the programme has commenced. See the Bowel cancer screening page for more information.
HPV vaccinations data
As part of the decommissioning plans for Open Exeter and NHAIS there have been changes to the way HPV vaccination records are captured, flowed and reported. Updates via the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations application on Open Exeter for non-screening users ceased on 21 August 2023.
In September an interim solution via the National Immunisation and Vaccination System (NIVS) went live for use by school age immunisation services (SAIS). Guidance for SAIS on how to access and use NIVS for HPV record upload can be found here.
Further developments to flow HPV vaccination records from general practice to support the NHS cervical screening programme are planned as part of the NHSE Immunisation Strategy.
Other users
If you are using Open Exeter for any other purpose you need to identify what alternative services already exist to meet your needs, for example National Care Records Service (NCRS) - NHS Digital for patient tracing.