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
- Java virtual machines (JVMs)
- 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.
The tables below describe the supported environment for each system listed. Windows Internet of Things (IoT) Editions are not supported.