Identity Verification and Authentication Standard for Digital Health and Care Services
This information standard provides for a consistent approach to identity management across digital health and care services, covering verification and authentication.
Contents
- Documentation
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Also known as
- This standard was previously called DCB3051.
- Reference code
- DAPB3051 Amd 57/2024
- Publication date
- 16 April 2025
- Publication version
- 3.0.0
- Status
- Active
Show definitions of statuses
Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.
Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.
Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.
- Standard type
- Information standards
Show definitions of standard types
Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.
Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.
Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.
Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.
- Contact point
Using this standard
- Applies to
- All health and care organisations implementing digital services and offering patient/service user online access to these services
- Organisations must conform to this standard if and when they implement citizen facing digital health and care services
- Impacts on
- Companies or authorities providing identity services on behalf of the above providers; alignment with this standard will be essential for such organisations once the national citizen identify platform is established. Systems suppliers providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their customers to determine necessary changes.
- Associated medias
- Conformance date
- 16 April 2025
- Effective from
- 16 April 2024
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Access to records
- Authentication
- Demographics
- Information codes of practice
- Information governance
- Patient communication
- Security
- Care setting
- Community health
- Hospital
- Maternity
- Mental health
- Pharmacy
- Social care
- Urgent and Emergency Care
Review Information
- Scope
- Health Services; NHS Services; Adult Social Care
- Sponsor
Helen Clifton, Product and Platforms Director, NHS England
- Senior Responsible Officer
Liz Clow, Director, Digital Citizen (NHS App, NHS.uk, NHS login)
- Business Lead
- Melissa Ruscoe, Programme Director, NHS England
- Approval date
- 21 January 2025
- Post Implementation review Date
- 31 March 2026
- Technical Committee
Data Alliance Partnership Board (DAPB)
Legal basis and endorsements
- Legal authority
Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
More information
This information standard provides for a consistent approach to identity management across digital health and care services, covering verification and authentication. This change is being made to ensure continued alignment with Good Practice Guide 45 (GPG45) which was updated in December 2024. The standard has been uplifted to provide further guidance on authentication sessions. Transactional Archetypes have been replaced with wider examples of digital transactions and the required identity verification and authentication levels. It describes why and how a person should prove their identity to access digital health and care services. For example: their GP practice, their local hospital, and their social care provider. The change is needed to reflect the Policy and Digital Environment changes since DCB3051’s publication on 29 June 2018.
Page last updated: 12 May 2025