The NHS APP has recently been announced with a launch date in December 2018.

The aim is to initially provide members of the public with an "APP" to access their health (and social care) information. At a recent industry engagement event for companies that integrate with GP systems on the 10th July 2018, we were given a chance to engage with teams building the APP.

Starting as a responsive web APP

The APP will initially be a responsive web site that allows members of the public to: book appointments with their GP, request repeat prescriptions and access their GP record. It will be made available as both an iOS and Android APP.

Need to register for a Citizen ID

Members of the public will need to register for a Citizen ID account that allows them to create an identity and log in to their information. The Citizen's GP will need to verify their identity, as per the current process of accessing GP data online, or they will be able to take a photo of valid photo ID (like driving license) and a selfie video for NHS Digital to manually verify they are who they say they are. There will need to be a credible process for verifying the patient to avoid pressure on GPs and potential PR issues.

Bringing NHS Choice and Patient Online Services together

The direction of travel appears to be that NHS Choices will come together with the online APP to provide a resource that allows people to get advice and access to their information.

The initial launch of the APP will use the current GPSoC IM1 interfaces to access GP records via the patient-facing interfaces. Our hope is that NHS Digital's engagement in this will actually improve this service in terms of how it works with the GP System providers.

Will RIVIAM be able to build services into the NHS APP?

Additional services such as End of Life care will also be made available via the APP, but will third parties like RIVIAM be able to integrate and build on the APP? The engagement event was all about understanding requirements regarding how third parties would like to integrate with the APP. Our preference is that RIVIAM is able to build browser side components in Javascript and call the APIs developed for the service. This way we can contribute to building integrated services for the NHS using a common portal for patients to access services.

Is it for social care too?

The hope and stated strategy is that the APP is for both health and social care. We intend to be at the heart of making the journey a reality.