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For action: Changes on how to log into to the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS)

Health and care staff who access e-RS in a web browser will need to change the browser address (URL) to https://ers.nhs.uk. The system itself is not changing, simply the URL used to access it.

Your ICT team can use our online guidance to implement the changes in your practice. This should be done by the end of November 2023.

Staff will still be able to access e-RS in a clinical IT system (for example, EMIS or TPP) in the usual way.

If you have any questions you can contact our e-RS team.

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Tech supplier search to help tackle 8am rush at GP surgeries

Tech specialists are being sought to help tackle the 8am rush for appointments at GP surgeries.

NHS England is inviting suppliers to tender for a new framework that will enhance GP practices' capabilities to provide online consultations, and improve their communication with patients.

The Digital Pathways Framework is part of a new suite of commercial frameworks that will allow buyers to purchase standardised and assured digital systems for primary care.

The framework has now opened for tenders and includes proposals for new, advanced digital systems that will improve the management of appointment bookings, messaging, and consultations.

Earlier this year, the government announced that general practices across England will be given £240 million to embrace the latest technology, with the funding expected to cover a four-year period from January 2024 to 2028.

The framework will include new tech systems that will cater for online consultations, administrative request reporting, online patient or service user consultation, care navigation, and online administrative requests.

In addition, there is potential for the systems to enhance prescription ordering for patients, communication management, video consultations, record viewing for patients, and cross organisational appointment booking.

NHS England’s Director of Digital Primary Care, Mark Sayers said:

“Surgeries with modern messaging, online booking, and video consultation systems find they have more capacity and less of an 8am rush, while giving patients a convenient way to get the help they need.

“I’d encourage all suppliers to come forward who are able to provide the high-quality tools and technology needed to support our vision for modern general practice.”

Health Minister Neil O’Brien said:

"As well as growing staff numbers in GPs by 30% since 2019, we are also investing £240 million to give GPs the latest technology. We are working to abolish the 8AM rush and make it easier to see your GP in a convenient way.”

The deadline for the receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 17 November.

The invitation to tender for the Digital Pathways Framework has been published on Atamis (project reference C193795), and details are also available via Contracts Finder and Find A Tender.

Further information on the Digital Pathways Framework can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/digital-services-for-integrated-care/digital-pathways-framework

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Event: Innovation Days for NHS software developers and product owners

Software developers, tech architects and product owners working for the NHS are welcome to join our ‘Innovation Days’ event on 7 and 8 November to collaborate on ideas and explore opportunities for improving NHS products, services and processes.

The event includes an Apigee Interactive Workshop on 7 November in collaboration with Google, which focuses on OpenAPI Specifications and Google Apigee Edge.

Please cascade to colleagues in your organisation who may like to attend. Find out more and register 2 November.

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Event: Innovation Days for NHS software developers and product owners

Are you a software developer, tech architect or product owner working for the NHS?

If so, please join us at our ‘Innovation Days’ event on 7 and 8 November to collaborate on ideas and explore opportunities for improving NHS products, services and processes.

The event includes an Apigee Interactive Workshop on 7 Novemberin collaboration with Google, which focuses on OpenAPI Specifications and Google Apigee Edge. This workshop is open to freelance software developers who work on NHS products.

You can attend virtually or in person in Leeds. Find out more and register your place by 2 November.

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Last chance to apply for the NHS DigiTrials Recruitment Service pilot

NHS DigiTrials is welcoming 4 new clinical trials to their Recruitment Service. The service uses patient information to identify people who may be suitable a clinical trial and contacts them to see if they would like to take part.

If you are planning a clinical trial that will benefit public and social care, you can submit an expression of interest by 31 October.

Find out more and apply.

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Care Identity Management will replace the Care Identity Service application on 12 June 2024

We have resolved the technical issue affecting the switch-off of the CIS application. The service will be switched off on 19 June 2024 after 8pm and all users will be redirected to Care Identity Management.

Care Identity Management is replacing the Care Identity Service application. From 12 June 2024 you will no longer be able to access the old service.

This means that all users of the Care Identity Service application must migrate to Care Identity Management before that date.

We had previously planned to close the legacy service on 28 March 2024. In response to user feedback, we extended the availability of the legacy service to give people more time to switch to Care Identity Management.

All users should switch to using Care Identity Management now.

All user types are able to access the service, including:

  • Registration Authority managers, agents and advanced agents
  • sponsors
  • unlockers and ID checkers
  • clinical users with no admin role

As of 9 May 2024 there remains a handful of functions that require the old Care Identity Service application, such as user reports and bulk position edit and removal. These will be available in Care Identity Management before the old application is switched off. You can keep up to date with the latest functionality via our release hub.

We have created support and guidance for all users adopting Care Identity Management. This will be expanded as new features are added to the service.

For further information about what features are being added in the coming weeks, visit our roadmap.

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Latest figures show drop in obesity rates among primary school children: statistical press release  

Statistics published today show obesity1 prevalence among four and five-year-olds in reception classes2 fell to 9.2% in 2022/23 from 10.1% in 2021/22, compared with the highest recorded figure in 2020/21 of 14.4%. The decrease signals a return to pre-pandemic levels for this age group and is one of the lowest levels since 2006/07. 

The National Child Measurement Programme, England, 2022/23 report also found the proportion of year 6 children, aged 10 and 11, living with obesity dropped to 22.7% in 2022/23. This was down from 23.4% in 2021/22 and 25.5% in 2020/21 but remained higher than the 2019/20 pre-pandemic level of 21.0%.  

In 2020/213, the first set of measurements after schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, obesity levels for both age groups were the highest since the National Child Measurement Programme began4.    

The NCMP5 is overseen by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and is analysed and reported by NHS England and OHID. Since 2006/07 the programme has measured the height and weight of children in England annually and provides data on the patterns and trends in the prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obesity, and severe obesity6 among children in reception and year 6. 

In 2022/23, the majority of children in reception (77.5%) and year 6 (61.9%) were a healthy weight.  In reception, 77.0% of boys were a healthy weight compared with 78.1% of girls. The prevalence was lower for year 6 boys, with 59.6% showing a healthy weight compared with 64.2% of year 6 girls.  

In 2022/23, the proportion of underweight year 6 children7 rose to 1.6% - up from 1.5% in 2021/22. Underweight children in reception remained at 1.2%, the same level as in 2021/22.  

Deprivation:  

Levels of obesity in reception-aged children living in the most deprived8 areas (12.4%) were more than double those in the least deprived areas (5.8%). The prevalence of severe obesity was more than three times higher in the most deprived areas (3.8%) compared with those living in the least deprived areas (1.2%).  

Similarly, the prevalence of obesity among year 6 children was 30.2% in the most deprived areas, compared with 13.1% in the least deprived areas. The prevalence of severe obesity was more than four times higher among year 6 children in the most deprived areas (9.2%) compared with those living in the least deprived areas (2.1%).   

Geography9:     

The proportion of reception-aged children living with obesity in 2022/23 was highest in the North East (11.3%). It was lowest in the South East (8.0%), East of England (8.1%) and South West (8.2%).  

For year 6, the proportion of children living with obesity was highest in the North East (25.8%), the West Midlands (25.2%) and London (24.8%). It was lowest for year 6 children in the South West (19.4%) and the South East (19.4%).  

The prevalence of obesity varied by local authority10. For reception, this ranged from 4.9% in Wokingham to 14.1% in Knowsley. In year 6, the range was from 12.0% in Richmond upon Thames to 31.7% in Barking and Dagenham. 

The prevalence of obesity was highest in urban areas for both age groups - 9.4% in reception and 23.6% in year 6.  

 Ethnicity:    

The proportion of children living with obesity in 2022/23 was highest for Black children in both reception (13.6%) and year 6 (31.6%). It was lowest for Chinese children in both reception (4.2%) and year 6 (15.2%).    

Underweight prevalence was highest for Asian children in both reception (4.3%) and year 6 (3.8%).   

Read the full report   

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Additional information for GP practice managers – October 2023

If your smartcard is locked, you can now use an online unlock tool instead of unlocking in person. All you need a is valid email address on the Care Identity Service.

To use the tool, make sure your smartcard is inserted into the smartcard reader, visit https://digital.nhs.uk/unlock and get an email with a security code.

Find out more about the tool and view a step-by-step guide on how to use it.

Use our promotional pack to tell your patients about how they can order a repeat prescription on the NHS App, which includes a step-by-step guide on how to use the feature.

Using the NHS App for repeat prescriptions helps reduce the number of phone calls to your practice and allows you to manage prescription approvals at a time that suits you.

You can now access the first batch of topics for the Digital Primary Care: The Good Practice Guidelines for electronic patient records (version 5). These guidelines give you the latest information about how to use digital tools and services effectively, safely and in accordance with the law and other national standards.

Cyber security threats are increasing in the NHS. This October we are sharing cyber security tips, training opportunities and resources to help us to defend as one against them.

We’re developing a new way to search for information about the national digital products and services we provide, such as the NHS App, NHS e-Referral Service and Care Identity Service.

We have started by adding filters and an in-page search to the new Service catalogue, to help you quickly find what is relevant to you and your needs.

Take a look at the Service catalogue and please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions at who.doeswhat@nhs.net.

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Registration Authority newsletter October 2023

Self-service smartcard unlock

The new self-service smartcard unlock application is now available to all smartcard holders: https://digital.nhs.uk/unlock

Smartcard holders can automatically use the new application if they have a valid email address on their Care Identity profile. This means:

  • there's no need to register
  • there are no security questions to remember
  • nobody needs to take their card to a Registration Authority to have it unlocked
  • everyone can access the application using a regular internet connection

When a user locks their smartcard, the existing link on NHS Identity Agent will redirect to the new application.

RAs should direct smartcard holders to the new service now. You should also check and add users' email addresses to allow more people to use self-unlock.

For full details of the new application, read our guidance on the new self-service smartcard unlock.

Update NHS Credential Management now, to prepare for series 9 smartcards

Series 9 smartcards will be introduced next month and will require additional software components for their rollout. These components and guides are available below:

  • NHS Credential Management 1.3.1.0
  • PIV Minidriver (to be deployed on all systems using series 9 smartcards)

You can download the software and installation guides from the DIR downloads site (needs HSCN connection).

We have also released NHS Identity Agent 2.4.5.0 (utilising security update TLS 1.2) which includes the new self-service unlock link.

A broadcast event was held 22 September 2023 to outline the documentation, installation and support processes. A video of this event is available here.

Apply for Care ID

The Apply for Care ID service provides a remote way of carrying out an ID check without the need for a face-to-face appointment. If you have an RA manager, agent or sponsor role, you can use this service straight away.

To find out more and get started, view our Apply for Care ID web pages.

Apply for Care ID have recently released:

  • a smartcard photo upload feature for applicants
  • a smartcard photo cropping tool for ID checkers to ensure that images are the right ratio, size and orientation for smartcard printing

In the next quarter we’ll be:

  • introducing a ‘mark as done’ feature so that you can keep track of the authenticators you’ve issued in CIS/CIM for approved applications
  • introducing a route for applicants who do not pass the online address check, to provide additional evidence to prevent rejection by our ID checkers
  • making applications raised by sponsors more visible to associated RAs
  • linking to Care Identity Management
  • making continuous improvements based on data and feedback

Care Identity Management

iPads

You can now issue an iPad as an authenticator, in place of a smartcard.

Please note that if a user already uses an iPad to authenticate and you want to issue a new one, you must first remove the old iPad using the legacy Care Identity Service application. We will add this action to Care Identity Management in a future release.

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/care-identity-service/applications-and-services/care-identity-management/user-guides/issue-an-ipad-as-an-authenticator

You will be able to add other types of non-smartcard authenticator in the future.

Smartcard passcode validation changes

Passcodes for all smartcards must now be in a 6 to 8 digit format. This change was made so that Care Identity Management will be able to support series 9 smartcards.

Access for local smartcard administrators

From October 3rd, local smartcard administrators (unlockers) will be able to perform their full unlocker role in Care Identity Management, including:

  • searching for and viewing user profiles
  • unlocking a smartcard
  • renewing a smartcard, if the card is within its certificate renewal period

Unlockers should stop using the Care Identity Service application and start using Care Identity Management instead.

Access for Registration Authorities

Registration Authorities have the same access as before and should adopt Care Identity Management for their day-to-day work wherever possible.

Prepare for the new Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS)

A letter was issued on 18th September 2023, which outlined the actions providers need to take to ensure an effective transition to the new Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS). The new system will go live by the end of 2023/24. Additional resources are available here:

If you have any queries that are not addressed on the CSMS website, or can’t complete actions in the timeframe stated, please email screening.implementation@nhs.net so we can work with you to make sure that the actions are completed.

Registration Authority Roadshow, coming in the next month

The next virtual roadshow will take place soon. We will send out an invitation to all RA managers closer to the date.

For more information on our work please visit our website or email IAMplatforms@nhs.net.

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NHS wireless tech trials: apply now for funding this financial year

Funding and support is available for NHS organisations that are implementing innovative WiFi solutions to address healthcare’s connectivity challenges.

If you would like to apply for funding this financial year (2023/24), you will need to complete a short application form and submit it to nhsdigital.future.connectivity@nhs.net by Friday 6 October.

We will continue to accept applications after this date for organisations who do not require funding until the following financial year.

Find out more about the trials and request an application form.

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