NHS Digital has extended the use of NHS login to nine more services taking to the total to 14.
It marks an increasing momentum for the use of the mechanism, which enables patients to create a single account through which they can access different healthcare services with a one-time sign-up.
This follows earlier work to integrate five services under a pilot project that began earlier in the year. The list includes the NHS eReferrals Service, which enables the electronic booking of secondary care appointments.
Other services preparing to use NHS login are:
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Evergreen Life, a GP online services app connected with three major GP systems in England;
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myGP, an app provided by iPlato Healthcare for appointment booking, patient triage, two-way messaging, health tracking, prescription ordering and video consultation;
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Patient Pack, an online GPO services and video consultations platform from Subtrakt Health;
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Lincus Digital Health from Rescon Technologies, which provides online consultation, health record access and management tools for patients and clinicians;
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Mjog Messenger, a health messaging app for patients used by GPs;
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Ask NHS, an app powered by Sensely that points users to relevant NHS services and provides healthcare advice;
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AccuRx, a communication platform used by GP practices to send messages to their patients;
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Patient Access, an app which connects patients to their GP surgery and healthcare service.
NHS login has already been integrated with the NHS App, Sitkit’s eRedbook for managing children’s health and development, the eConsult online GP consultation platform and Leeds Helm, a person-held record under development in Leeds.
In addition, it is due to go live soon for use with Tiny Medical Apps’ Digital Health Passport for teenagers with long term conditions such as asthma.
NHS Digital said the number of user accounts doubled during June and now totals over 117,000.
Into pockets
Dr Simon Eccles, chief clinical information officer and deputy chief executive of NHSX, said: “Digital tools like the NHS App are putting the NHS into the pocket of everyone in England, and by enabling other products to use our secure login feature the NHS is helping even more patients to simply and safely take control of their own health delivering on commitments in the Long Term Plan.
“NHSX is working with the market at a national level to create a platform of digital tools like NHS Login that can be built on by digital health innovators.”
Ian Phoenix, director of citizen health technology at NHS Digital, said that dozens more organisations are expressing an interest in using NHS login.
An integration toolkit is being developed to help potential partners assess if NHS login is suitable for their product and carry out the integration by themselves as much as possible. This is expected to help them integrate at their own pace.
Image from NHS Digital, Open Government Licence v3.0
