NHS Notify Connected Partners programme

The NHS Notify Connected Partners Programme enables suppliers and delivery partners to support NHS organisations in using NHS Notify to communicate effectively with patients.

Connected Partners can support an NHS organisation to integrate with NHS Notify, configure and test its messaging service, and establish the operational arrangements needed for safe and sustainable use.

NHS Notify enables organisations and services to send communications through multiple channels, including:

• NHS App messages
• SMS messages
• email
• letters (including additional languages and accessible formats)

A Connected Partner supports NHS organisations adopt NHS Notify more quickly and consistently.

Promotes App-first method of communication whilst providing appropriate fallback channels to remain digitally inclusive.

Provides an onboarding approach that can be used across multiple NHS organisations.

Identifies partners that can provide reliable implementation, knowledge transfer and post-onboarding support.

Connected Partners does not replace the NHS Notify onboarding, service terms, connection agreements, acceptable-use requirements, information governance, clinical safety or local organisational approvals. NHS organisations remain responsible for approving their use cases, message content, recipient groups and local governance arrangements.

Suppliers and other organisations can become a Connected Partner if they:

• provide a product or service that needs to send communications through NHS Notify
• support NHS organisations with implementation or integration
• can integrate through an agreed NHS Notify route, such as the NHS Notify API or Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH)

A participating partner should be able to demonstrate that it can:

1. Complete the required NHS Notify onboarding, documentation and governance activities.
2. Establish and test the agreed technical integration.
3. Support the NHS organisation to approve messages and complete testing before go-live.
4. Support production use and resolve or escalate implementation issues appropriately.
5. Transfer sufficient knowledge and documentation so that the NHS organisation can operate the service without day-to-day partner intervention.
6. Provide a documented support model and reusable onboarding materials.

Partners must ensure that the NHS organisation understands its responsibilities under NHS Notify requirements, including responsibility for the content of communications, recipient selection, legal basis, data protection compliance and contingency arrangements where a message is not received or acted upon.

A Connected Partner would be considered to have successfully onboarded an NHS organisation when:

• the NHS organisation has agreed to participate and completed the required onboarding
• the technical integration is operational and has passed end-to-end testing
• NHS Notify is being used in production
• the agreed minimum production message volume has been sent successfully
• all agreed channels and fallback arrangements are operational
• the NHS organisation has remained live for at least 30 consecutive days
• no high-severity incident attributable to the onboarding approach has occurred during that period
• the NHS organisation has accepted the handover and can operate the service without day-to-day partner involvement
• a documented and agreed support model is in place
• the partner has documented a reusable onboarding approach

If your organisation would like to become an NHS Notify Connected Partner, please contact [email protected] indicating interest and outlining:

• your organisation and primary contact details
• relevant experience of delivering integrations within health and care settings
• your prospective organisation that would be considered for integration and level of commitment to becoming a Connected Partner

Once we receive your email, the NHS Notify team will send an acknowledgement and review the information provided. If your organisation is considered a suitable fit for the programme, we will discuss the next steps.

Following successful integration, your organisation will be recognised as an NHS Notify Connected Partner and will be permitted to use the NHS Notify Connected Partner logo.

The logo may be used on your organisation’s website, marketing materials, and other relevant communications to demonstrate that your organisation is a recognised NHS Notify Connected Partner. It must only be used in connection with your participation in the Connected Partner Programme and in accordance with the applicable brand guidelines.

Use of the logo must not imply that NHS England endorses, accredits, certifies, recommends, or commercially sponsors your organisation, products, or services, nor that your organisation has preferred supplier status.

Connected Partner status will be reviewed annually against the NHS Notify Connected Partner Programme criteria. This will include consideration of factors such as your organisation’s continued and consistent use of NHS Notify and ongoing adherence to the requirements and success criteria of the programme.

Where an organisation no longer meets the required criteria, its Connected Partner status may be withdrawn. This would include removal from the NHS Notify Connected Partners webpage and withdrawal of the right to use the NHS Notify Connected Partner logo.