Enhancing NHS interoperability with GP Connect and Direct Care APIs

Streamline patient data access across the healthcare ecosystem.

Client overview

GP Connect and Direct Care APIs (DCAPI) are integral initiatives led by NHS Digital to improve interoperability within the NHS. These projects aim to provide seamless access to patient records across various care settings, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and social care providers.

Answer Digital has played a critical role in shaping these technologies, helping the NHS unify and streamline patient data access across the healthcare ecosystem.

The challenge

The NHS lacked a standardised, scalable, and interoperable solution for accessing GP records, often resulting in fragmented care.

The NHS sought a nationally standardised solution to address these gaps, ensuring that critical patient data was available securely and efficiently to all approved healthcare providers.

Existing systems presented significant barriers:

Limited interoperability: Fragmented local systems and limited data sharing between providers.

Manual workflows: High administrative burdens due to disconnected systems.

Inconsistent access: Private providers and care homes faced challenges in accessing GP data.

What we are working on

We have supported NHS Digital in delivering GP Connect and its evolution into Direct Care APIs for the past few years.

Key highlights include:

Development of APIs for record access

Created capabilities for structured and unstructured GP record access:

HTML view: Provides rendered patient data for quick and easy consumption.
Structured view: Delivers coded data, enabling advanced use cases like medication reconciliation and automated checks for drug interactions.

Use case enablement

Supported Pharmacy First to enable pharmacists to access GP records before prescribing, reducing risks of drug interactions.
Facilitated secondary care providers like Rotherham Hospital to view patients’ medications upon admission and discharge, ensuring safe care transitions.

Standardised solutions

Worked on national rollouts to ensure interoperability for private providers, care homes, and medical examiners.
Developed APIs for writing back structured and unstructured data into GP records, marking a significant step forward in consultation data sharing.

Streamlining access and cost savings

Enabled providers like Leeds Teaching Hospitals to transition from costly, fragmented solutions to GP Connect, reducing financial and operational burdens.

Future-proofing through consolidation

Initiated work on a unified API to replace fragmented products, simplifying integration for suppliers and ensuring easier maintenance for NHS systems.

Results and our impact

Answer Digital’s contributions have driven transformative outcomes:

Key impacts to date:

Enhanced interoperability: Delivered APIs that enable real-time, secure data access across care settings, ensuring the NHS works cohesively.

Efficiency gains: Automated manual workflows, significantly reducing administrative burdens for providers.

Improved patient safety: Structured record access and medication reconciliation tools have minimised risks of errors in prescribing and treatment.

Cost savings: Facilitated transitions from expensive third-party solutions to cost-effective NHS-led systems, saving trusts significant resources.

Scalability: Laid the groundwork for future unified solutions, easing supplier onboarding and simplifying NHS-wide adoption.

Looking ahead

GP Connect and Direct Care APIs remain vital components of the NHS’s digital strategy. We continue to work as a trusted partner, leading efforts to consolidate and modernise these solutions for the future.

Our work positions the NHS to expand capabilities in patient record access, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance care outcomes across the healthcare continuum.

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