GP Connect Integration

What is GP Connect?

GP Connect gives authorised clinical staff access to patient information where and when they need it, which enables them to deliver a higher standard of care and work more efficiently.

The platform effectively bridges the gap between GP practices and hospitals, allowing staff to share and view clinical information and data between IT systems without delay.

Health and social care workers can:

view a patient’s care record and associated documents
update a patient’s care record and associated documents
manage a patient’s appointments

GP Connect is a national service from NHS England that’s integrated with all major GP software providers (currently EMIS and SystmOne). It routes requests to the appropriate GP system, based on the patient’s registered GP. It does not store any GP, patient or care provider data – it merely enables interconnectivity between authorised and approved systems.

6B works in partnership with your organisation to understand your unique system and integration requirements, to ensure a quick and seamless integration with GP Connect, leaving your team to stay focused on other development initiatives.

GP Connect integration in action

Irrespective of what IT system or set-up, or where your organisation’s site is located, GP Connect offers you greater flexibility in how you operate, enabling your staff to view, share and act on patient records in three ways:

GP Connect: Access Record – by logging into the system, clinicians will be able to access all relevant patient records without having to chase individual GP surgeries. The data they retrieve will be made available in either HTML read-only format, or machine-readable, coded format.
GP Connect: Send Document – for any medical interactions that take place away from a patient’s usual practice, a standardised summary of the consultation is used to update the patient’s record using GP Connect messaging components, such as ITK3 and MESH to deliver the message.
GP Connect: Manage Appointment –initially rolled out to help manage appointments during the Covid-19 vaccination programme, this feature allows appointments to be booked on behalf of patients at their regular GP practice or other healthcare settings.

There are a multitude of healthcare organisations where GP Connect functionality and capability would be beneficial – a few include: Integrated care systems, hospitals, ambulance services, hospices, social care, care homes, pharmacies, mental health trusts and emergency care service providers.

Benefits of GP Connect integration

Integrating GP Connect with your organisation’s systems through 6B brings several benefits:

Enhanced Patient Care: With instant access to up-to-date patient information, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Efficiency Gains: Automating data sharing and reducing the need for manual data entry allows healthcare staff to focus more on patient care rather than administrative tasks.

Improved Communication: By enabling seamless data sharing across different healthcare providers, GP Connect improves communication and coordination among various care teams, ensuring a more cohesive patient care experience.

Scalability and Flexibility: GP Connect’s national reach (in England) and compatibility with all major GP software providers make it a scalable solution that can grow with your organisation’s needs.

Why partner with 6B for GP Connect integration?

Navigating GP Connect integration and partner accreditation when developing a health tech product can be complex – 6B’s professional team are here to help.

GP Connect specialists: we are experienced in developing integrations across the full range of GP Connect FHIR APIs and GP Connect Messaging APIs, including – Access Record HTML/Structured, Access Document, Send Document, Appointment Management, and Foundations. And in addition to GP Connect integration we are also experienced with integrating directly with EMIS and SystmOne.
Security compliance: with sensitive patient data being shared across systems and between organisations, it’s imperative that the correct security measures are in place to protect this data – 6B are ISO27001 certified.
Development consultancy: our technical expertise and first-hand experience of carrying out some of the most complex integration projects with healthcare clients helps us remove any technical roadblocks, prepare for witness testing and ensure the smoothest possible integration with primary care systems.
Ongoing support and maintenance:from initial consultation right through to launching your GP Connect integration, our team will be on hand to provide ongoing maintenance and evolution of your solution, and we’ll give your team the tools and training they need to get the most out of what we’ve designed.

Implementing a GP Connect integration

We specialise in supporting organisations with the development and implementation of GP Connect services, and we will guide you through the entire GP Connect onboarding process, from understanding specifications to achieving technical and clinical assurance.

Our support includes developing against NHS GP Connect API specifications, testing in the NHS England integration environment, and securing the necessary Technical Conformance Certificate. We will also assist in the completion of Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL), ensuring compliance with NHS standards. Our GP Connect Integration services include:

Technical Development: We help you build and integrate GP Connect APIs.
Clinical Safety Compliance: Assisting in meeting the DCB0160 clinical safety standards.
Assurance and Testing: Guiding through SCAL, witness testing, integration testing, and obtaining technical conformance.
Deployment Support: Managing end-user onboarding, including stakeholder communication, training, and implementation planning.

GP Connect is already transforming patient care in lots of real-world scenarios. For example, in emergency care settings, paramedics can access a patient’s medical history and current medications, allowing for quicker and more accurate treatment decisions. In integrated care systems, GP Connect facilitates better coordination between primary, secondary, and social care providers, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive and continuous care.

Integrating GP Connect through 6B offers a quick, robust, secure, and efficient solution to enhance patient care and streamline healthcare operations. Our expertise and experience in GP Connect integration, commitment to data security, and ongoing support ensure that your organisation can fully leverage the benefits of GP Connect integration. By partnering with 6B, you can ensure that your healthcare services are connected, efficient, and capable of providing the highest standard of care to your patients.

GP Connect integration specialists

The GP Connect integration solutions we design and develop enable the seamless exchange of data between different systems.

We’re keen to partner with digital health innovators to support GP Connect integration projects – contact us if you are ready to get started.

What are the key prerequisites for integrating GP Connect into our digital health product?

To integrate GP Connect, your organisation must comply with the NHS Digital Connection Agreement and/or End User Acceptable Use Policy. Additionally, you need to agree to the terms of the National Data Sharing Arrangement (NDSA) for GP Connect and use an IT system that has been assured by NHS England for GP Connect usage. Ensuring these prerequisites are met is essential for access to GP patient records for direct patient care.

How does 6B assist with the GP Connect assurance process?

6B provides comprehensive support throughout the GP Connect assurance process. This includes guiding you through the development against GP Connect specifications, assisting with the Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL) submissions, and supporting the testing phase in the NHS England integration environment. We ensure that your consumer system meets all technical and clinical safety requirements for successful integration.

What technical support does 6B offer during the development phase for GP Connect?

During the development phase, 6B offers technical support by providing access to specifications and supporting materials necessary for developing GP Connect capabilities. We help you interact with the NHS England system demonstrator for initial testing and verify that your system’s interactions are compliant with the required standards. Our team is also available to address any technical challenges you may encounter.

What are the steps involved in obtaining technical conformance for GP Connect Integration?

To obtain technical conformance, the steps include:

Submitting a use case and receiving approval from the GP Connect team.
Developing your system against the relevant GP Connect specifications.
Testing the system in the NHS England integration environment.
Completing the Supplier Conformance Assessment List (SCAL) and submitting it along with test evidence.
Once approved, NHS England’s Solutions Assurance Team will issue a Technical Conformance Certificate, allowing you to deploy your product in conjunction with an NHS Commissioner.

How does 6B ensure the clinical safety of our consumer system when integrating GP Connect?

6B ensures clinical safety by guiding you through compliance with the Clinical risk management standard DCB0160. This includes assisting in the appointment of a Clinical Safety Officer, reviewing the clinical safety case report and hazard log, and ensuring all clinical risks are mitigated. We support the creation of your own clinical safety case report and hazard log to ensure all relevant clinical risks are addressed before implementing GP Connect.

GP Connect Integration Insights

What is NHS GP Connect?

In business, time is money. But in healthcare, time means something far more valuable: human life. To deliver improvements in patient care and outcomes, clinicians need real-time access to data that gives them an accurate view of a patient’s medical history.

Integrating with: GP Connect

Find out about integrating with GP Connect. GP Connect is a national service provided by NHS England to facilitate seamless data sharing with GP Practice systems (EMIS and SystmOne) for the purpose of providing direct patient care.

Our Digital Health services

When it comes to healthcare, our skilled multi-disciplined team have successfully delivered projects for clients in the public and private sectors, ranging from complex system integrations to legacy system overhauls and everything in between.