Name: Interoperability Toolkit 3 Messaging Distribution FHIR API standards
Creator: NHS England

API standards for a set of generic messaging components which use the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard for health and care data exchange version STU 3 to create a unified approach to NHS message and document flows across England.

interoperability-toolkit-3-messaging-distribution-fhir-api-standards

NHS England

Interoperability Toolkit 3 Messaging Distribution FHIR API standards

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Discover future standards that could help data work together for users in health and adult social care within England.<br /><br />
  Please note these are subject to change and are not guaranteed to become published or to be assured by an approved Standards Body. For more information or to propose a new standard, email <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.<br /><br />


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Future standards

### Standards Directory mailbox

You can contact the team who manage the Standards Directory by emailing england.interop.standards@nhs.net.

### Standard development bodies

[The Data Alliance Partnership Board](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/data-alliance-partnership-board) approves information standards, data collections and extractions for health and adult social care in England. 

[Government Digital Service](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service) owns the [UK government’s API Catalogue](https://www.api.gov.uk/#uk-public-sector-apis) which lists public sector APIs. They also oversee the [Data Standards Authority](https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/data-standards-authority) which sets standards for data-sharing in government.

[HL7 UK](https://www.hl7.org.uk/) develops standards for exchanging electronic health information in the UK.

[NHS Digital](https://digital.nhs.uk/) owns the [NHS' API Catalogue](https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue) which lists APIs for use in the NHS. New APIs can be voted on in their [product backlog](https://nhs-digital-api-management.featureupvote.com). 

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The [NHS Service Standard](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/standards-and-technology/service-standard) and [GDS Service Standard](https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard) are standards for designing and building online services. [Point 17 of the NHS Service Standard](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/standards-and-technology/service-standard-points/17-make-your-service-interoperable) states that technology must implement standards that support interoperability. 

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[GP IT Futures Capabilities & Standards](https://gpitbjss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/GPITF/overview?homepageId=1391134009) is a commercial framework for primary care technology.

[Health Systems Support Framework](https://www.england.nhs.uk/hssf/) is a commercial framework for non-clinical solutions related to population health management such as advanced analytics and digital infrastructure.  

[The Digital Social Care Records Dynamic Purchasing System](https://www.digitalsocialcare.co.uk/social-care-technology/digital-social-care-records-dynamic-purchasing-system/) is a commercial framework for solutions that digitise social care records.

### Design kits and case studies

[The NHS Design System](https://service-manual.nhs.uk/design-system) has design patterns and style guides for use in NHS digital services.

[The GOV.UK Design System](https://design-system.service.gov.uk/) has design patterns and style guides for use in all public sector digital services.

[NHS digital playbooks](https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/key-tools-and-info/digital-playbooks/) show examples of how care pathways have been improved with technology.


Explore resources for the standards community in health and social care including links to discussion forums and government regulations.

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Help and resources

## What this service does

The directory is a source of recognised standards used by technologies in health and adult social care to exchange data in England. 

It is a signposting service only. It doesn’t include the full documentation for each standard. This can be found on the standard owner’s website.

This service is currently in development and is being tested and improved based on feedback. To report a problem or make a suggestion, email  <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.

To learn more about why this service was needed and the future plans for it there is a <a href="https://digital.nhs.uk/blog/tech-talk/2022/discovering-data-standards-together">2022 blog written by the Product Manager</a> of the NHS Standards Directory.

[Find out more about standards](/about-standards).

## Who this service is for

This service is for anyone building or buying digital technologies for the NHS or local authority-funded adult social care services in England. 

This includes IT suppliers, healthcare providers and technology buyers such as procurement teams and framework operators.

## What standards are included

The directory lists all standards that are mandated at a national level as well as some standards that are not mandatory but are widely in use in England. These include: 

* all approved national [information standards](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/publications-and-notifications/standards-and-collections#approved-standards-and-collections). These are assured by the [Data Alliance Partnership Board](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/data-alliance-partnership-board) and issued with an Information Standard Notice, which means they are mandatory.
* APIs published in [NHS Digital's API Catalogue](https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue)
* record standards published by the [Professional Record Standards Body](https://theprsb.org/)

It also includes draft APIs and draft standards that are in the process of being assured at the national level.

More standards are likely to be added to the directory in the future. You can find [data collections and extractions on NHS Digital’s website](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/information-standards/information-standards-and-data-collections-including-extractions/publications-and-notifications/standards-and-collections#approved-standards-and-collections). 

When writing information around standards there is an aim to provide clear, accessible and useful metadata to enable everyone to understand it. Details of which can be read in this <a href="https://services.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/14/how-content-design-helped-to-frame-a-new-service-around-nhs-data-standards/">2022 blog on the use of content design to build the Standards Directory.</a>

## Who manages this service

This service is managed by NHS England and Improvement working closely with organisations involved in standards development. You can contact the standards directory team by emailing <a href="mailto:england.interop.standards@nhs.net">england.interop.standards@nhs.net</a>.

Check who owns and manages the NHS Standards Directory and what the service is for.

about-this-service

About this service

### What we mean by standards
This service contains standards, which we group into 4 categories:

*   **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.

[Browse collections](/search-results?standard_category=Collections).

*   **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..

[Browse extractions](/search-results?standard_category=Extractions).

*   **Technical standards and specifications** specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported

[Browse technical standards and specifications](/search-results?standard_category=Technical+standards+and+specifications).

* **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.

[Browse information standards](/search-results?standard_category=Information+standards).

Not every standard that exists is listed in this service. You can [find out which standards are included](/about-this-service#what-standards-are-included). 

### Benefits of using standards
There are many benefits to using standards including:

* it’s more efficient to reuse existing approaches to recording or exchanging data than creating new ones
* it promotes quality by ensuring all care settings are aligned to standards that have been approved by qualified bodies
* it makes it easier to analyse data at the national level and see trends or problems if the data has all been standardised 
* it is essential to achieving interoperability, which would allow IT systems across the country to share data. An example of this is hospitals being able to update GP records directly using their own systems instead of sending emails

### Report a gap in standards
Work is underway to publish a process for people developing new standards. 

In the meantime, please notify us of plans to create new standards by emailing england.interop.standards@nhs.net. Local standards that apply at the national level may be uplifted for national use.  


Find out about the different types and benefits of standards in health and social care and how to report a gap in standards.

Interoperability Toolkit 3 Messaging Distribution FHIR API standards

About this standard

Link to standard

Topics and care settings

Dependencies and related standards

Legal basis and endorsements