Spine technical information: Warrantied Environment Specification (WES)
Computer systems which access NHS England services through Spine have to meet certain technical standards. The Warrantied Environment Specification (WES) defines the client environments that we support and applications requiring a smartcard or other approved authenticator to be aligned with the terms and conditions.
NHS England WES
The WES defines the versions of software required to be installed on client machines in order that they are supported by NHS England to access NHS Spine systems and applications requiring a smartcard.
Use of client software versions which are not listed in the WES are not supported by NHS England for connectivity to NHS Spine systems.
If NHS organisations or system suppliers are using unsupported client software versions, connecting to NHS Spine systems will not be fully supported until migration to a supported version.
The WES defines the technical environments in terms of:
- operating systems
- browsers
- smartcard printer drivers
NHS England strongly recommends that users and system suppliers consult the WES and assure themselves that all software versions currently in use are fully supported.
Check our software product support information to see when products like operating systems and browsers will stop being supported, to help with planning and service development.
Where environments being used do not comply with the WES, NHS England strongly recommends updating these environments to ensure continuity of service and support and incidents raised where unsupported versions of software are being used will not be accepted.
In addition to the information published by NHS England, organisations should also consult vendor support roadmaps to determine when underlying products, such as the operating system or browser, reach end-of-life. This should influence planning for the future to help ensure that deployed solutions have a long and supported lifespan.
If you would like NHS England to include additional items in this Warrantied Environment Specification, send your suggestion to our National Service Desk:
Tel: 0300 3035035
Email: [email protected]
Portal: https://www.support.digitalservices.nhs.uk/csm
The tables below describe the supported environment for each system listed. Windows Internet of Things (IoT) Editions are not supported.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Recommended |
This software is the version NHS England most strongly recommends being used as it will have undergone a high level of assurance and will be widely adopted. Later versions may exist and can be used safely where also ‘Supported’. Recommended versions should be used. |
| Supported |
This software has been confirmed by NHS England as working satisfactorily in most settings and remains supported. Supported versions may be older or newer than ‘Recommended’ versions. Supported versions can be used. |
| Deprecated |
This software is still supported (unless specifically noted otherwise) but is intended to become ‘Retired’ and be removed from active service. Deprecated versions can be used, but their viable life is limited and we strongly recommend that NHS organisations put a plan into place to upgrade them to ‘Recommended’ or ‘Supported’. |
| Retired |
This software must not be used as it is no longer supported and must not be expected to work. Retired versions must not be used. |
Operating systems
| NHS England Smartcard enabled system | Windows 11(3) | Windows 10 | Window 8.1 and earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care Identity Management(1) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| SUS | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| e-RS - Professional | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine EPS Tracker(2) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine Reporting Service(2) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine Demographic application(2) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine TES Alert Viewer(2) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine National Care Records Service (NCRS) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
| Spine MOLES (message tracker) and MESH UI(2) | Recommended | Supported | Retired |
Browsers *
|
NHS England Smartcard enabled system |
Edge (native) |
Chrome (2) | Firefox | Edge (IE mode) | IE11 and below | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care Identity Management(1) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| SUS | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| e-RS - Professional | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Spine EPS Tracker(2) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Spine Reporting Service(2) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Spine Demographic application(2) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Spine TES Alert Viewer(2) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Spine National Care Records Service (NCRS) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Supported |
| Spine MOLES (message tracker) and MESH UI(2) | Recommended | Recommended | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
* Private browsing modes are unsupported.
(1) Care Identity Management can be accessed via Chrome/Edge using NHS Credential Management.
Chrome and Edge can also be used with the Chrome extension, but this is ‘Retired’ and does not allow the use of CMS (smartcard operations). Read the Chrome extension deprecation notice.
(2) Chrome and Edge (Native) require NHS Credential Management. For e-RS the recommended version of Chrome must be within ten releases of the current, production version.
(3) The latest supported version of Windows 11 is v24H2. No newer versions have yet been tested.
| NHS England approved authenticators | Supported operating systems | Supported browsers |
|---|---|---|
| Smartcards | Windows 10 Windows 11 |
Edge Chrome |
| NHS CIS2 Auth iPad app(1) | iPad OS 16 and above | Safari |
| Windows Hello | Windows 10 Windows 11 |
Edge Chrome Firefox |
| Security keys(2) | Windows 10 Windows 11 macOS 13 and above |
Edge Chrome Safari Firefox |
| Microsoft Authenticator(3) | Windows 10 Windows 11 macOS 13 and above |
Edge Chrome Safari Firefox |
Organisations may choose to use NHS England approved authenticators on other devices (such as Chromebooks and Android tablets), other operating systems (including Linux) and other browsers, but NHS England cannot be held liable for any consequences of its use and will be unable to offer any help or support.
See our Setting up and troubleshooting page for available device configurations for smartcards.
(1) iPad devices need to be managed by a mobile device management (MDM) system.
(2) That must be FIDO Authenticator Level 2 Certified. Guidance is available.
(3) Microsoft Authenticator is recommended. Google Authenticator is also supported.
Further information
The expandable fields below describe the support status of the NHS England bespoke software applications used to access Spine services.
Last edited: 20 December 2024 8:29 am