NHS e-Referral ServiceSupplier Testing Open Day

2nd April 2014

Objective

“To give suppliers an overview of NHS e-Referral Service to help them prepare for

and participate appropriately in NHS e-Referral Service Supplier Testing”

NHS e-Referral ServiceIntroduction, Update & Vision

Introduction

• Reduces the risk of any unexpected integration issues.• Provides you with the opportunity to confirm no adverse

effects on your system and provide assurances to your user base.

• Allows NHS e-RS to accommodate and resolve any issues you may experience before Go Live.

• Provides you with the opportunity to stay integrated and competitive in the English Healthcare IT market.

4

“Why do you need to be involved and what will you gain?”

NHS e-RS Update & Vision

• The replacement service has been rewritten and re-developed and should be the same from a functional perspective of Choose and Book compliant systems.

• Launched vision at Commissioning Show June 2013• NHS e-RS to succeed Choose and Book and support paperless referrals and

paperless NHS objectives• See www.hscic.gov.uk/ers for detail on the vision• Initial phase software development procurement completed, contract awarded to

BJSS in July, completion in 2014• Approvals obtained and in progress to support rapid procurement of replacement

services: Infrastructure and Managed Hosting The Appointment Line Software support Future Development

• NHS e-RS remains a priority for the Secretary of State, NHS England, Beverley Bryant (NHS e-RS Programme SRO), HSCIC and DH.

5

NHS e-RS Vision

6

• Patients able to choose and book their own follow-up appointments electronically along with alert/reminder advising them when to book.

Follow-up Appointments

• Commissioning organisations able to determine services that are appropriate to accept self referrals from patients. Patients able to refer themselves into services. 

Self Referrals

• A rich reporting function that provides easy access to referral and booking data in meaningful formats.  Reporting

• Use of modern technology - mobile phone Apps, e-mails, text reminders etc, to support different ways of communicating appointment-related information to patients and system alerts to professional users. 

Electronic Communication

NHS e-RS Vision

7

• A more intuitive system with a modern look and feel that will support the seamless transfer of referral information from GP clinical systems into provider systems.

Integration and Usability

• Enhanced Advice and Guidance functionality and Clinical Request Templates supporting clinical decisions. Commissioners driven Referral Assessment Services.

Referral Management

Support

• Consultants able to make tertiary and onward referrals and commissioners being able to assign referrer rights to groups of clinicians and practitioners.

Any to Any

• Ability to link appointments in a care pathway to ensure all take place in a pre-determined order. 

Linked Appointments

Initial Phase Project Objectives, Development & BJSS Project

Approach

Initial Phase – Project Objectives

• Develop a replacement solution for the Choose and Book service:

– Functionally equivalent replacement, with the addition of Any to Any and APIs

– Removing the dependencies on Cerner’s Millennium product and Intellectual Property Rights

– Minimal business change to avoid the need to re-train current users– Enables new and emerging requirements from the NHS e-RS

Roadmap to be met in the future– The replacement approach aspires to be low risk, and minimises

total cost of ownership– Develop a collaborative working relationship – Agile Delivery Approach– Go live November 2014

9

Initial Phase - Development Approach

• Series of Sprints consolidated into 3 Major Releases

• Major Release 1 will develop basic referral functionality

• Major Release 2 will continue the referral workflow including integration

• Major Release 3 will deliver the finishing touches ready for go-live

• Testing windows are at the end of each major release including integration, volume and performance, user and supplier testing for Major Release 2 and 3.

10

Initial Phase – BJSS Agile Approach

11

Initial Phase – BJSS Agile Approach

12

Initial Phase – Emphasising Collaboration

13

Architecture Principles,Differences between CAB & NHS

e-RS and API update

Architecture Principles

• Develop solution based on Open Source technology products which are well-known, proven, widely used and adequately supported

• Implement loose-coupling and separation• Adopt open standards where possible• Re-use components where practical• Design and develop the solution for:

– Multi-channel consumption– Security– Operational simplicity– Flexible scaling– Resilience

• Adoption of NHS Data Standards as appropriate (e.g. NHS Number)

15

Differences Between CAB & NHS e-RS

The replacement service will be the same from a functional perspective of Choose and Book compliant systems. However some of the enhancements are:

• Poll Now feature allows the Service Definer to instigate a manual slot poll for a single service rather than waiting for the overnight slot polling. Safeguards protocols will be in place to limit frequency of requests.  

• Improved user interface with familiar look and feel

• Change to the “date of decision to refer” in the Request Appointment Confirmation message to the “RTT clock start date” is being considered.

16

Similarities Between CAB & NHS e-RS

NHS e-RS has the same:

• HL7v3 messages support (MIM V2.3 and V3.1.09) with same contract properties

• All messages to and from NHS e-RS sent via Spine 2 TMS, with same Party Key and ASID as Choose and Book

• Same functional responses to messages• Same messaging vocabulary – e.g. cancellation reason codes.• Seamless transition URLs remain the same• Same IP addresses and DNS names for the live system• Live cut over from CAB to NHS e-RS will be seamless from an

integrated system perspective.

17

NHS e-RS API Development Update

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are being developed as part of the new solution to provide access to NHS e-RS services and content through a well-defined and secure interface.

• NHS e-RS will continue to support existing HL7 V3 messages• In Q4 2014 / Q1 2015 APIs will be exposing the user-driven functionality for both Provider

and Referrer systems within the Professional Application of NHS e-RS using the N3 network.

• The API will be using RESTful service interfaces influenced by the emerging HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard.

• An Eco System to support supplier’s API development is targeted to be made available Q3 2014. This will be containing a host of support materials, information on the API architecture, development guides, code samples and an appropriately simplified assurance process.

If you are interested in API development and the Eco System’s availability please email the NHS e-RS programme. (Signup details are on the contact details slide)

18

Supplier Testing Schedule & Assurance Preparation

Testing Schedule & Assurance Preparation

• Testing schedule for suppliers Major Releases 2 & 3

• Test Coverage

• Preparation

• Communications and reporting progress

• Data

• Environments

• Data Migration

20

Supplier Testing - Schedule

• Two Supplier Testing windows are scheduled for suppliers to test in during Major Releases 2 and 3.

• The first window is in Major Release 213/06/14 to 03/07/14 This release package will have the majority of the existing Choose and Book functionality available.

• The second window is in Major Release 3 11/08/14 to 29/08/14 followed by a fault fix window 01/09/14 to 26/09/14 for Severity 3 and lower defectsThis will have the full existing Choose and Book functionality available.

21

Supplier Testing – Test Coverage

• We are asking suppliers to perform their usual testing• Major Release 2 has flexibility to review and assess defects

identified during testing to minimise the need for code changes in end systems.

• The same level of flexibility will not be available in Major Release 3, suppliers can’t assume defects will be assessed and accommodated in NHS e-RS.

• Suppliers are therefore requested and it is recommended to participate in both test windows.

• Defects identified in the test windows will be reviewed for inclusion in development activity ready for the next test window and go live.

22

Supplier Testing – Preparation

• Suppliers are advised to prepare test script coverage for full functionality in Major Release 2 and scale back testing for functionality not provided.

• The exact functionality in scope for Major Release 2 will be advised on the 12/05/14.

• It is intended that suppliers use the full regression pack for testing.

• There will be a set of duplicated scripts that need preparing for data that is to be migrated. This needs to be determined and the data created prior to the test windows when the migration will take place.

23

Supplier Testing – Comms & Reporting

• Communications will be sent via the normal newsletters – ESP, EMT and via LSP channels

• During the test phases one to one communications will take place with the designated points of contact

• Defects will be reported via the SA Service desk• At the end of the supplier testing the supplier will

report that they have completed the testing to a satisfactory level to HSCIC SA

• Please schedule your testing with your usual point of contact.

24

Assurance Preparation – Data

• Existing SDS and PDS data can and should be used where it fits the bill (including smartcards).

Re-use existing data

• Requests for new data to be submitted to the Test Data Team 4 weeks before testing is due to start.

4 weeks notice for new data

• Tests which involve changes to patient demographics can be self-managed using DSA or your local system.

Use DSA to update patients

25

Assurance Preparation – Environments

• The SA Service Desk will continue to be First point of support. Second Line will be SA Tech Ops.

• Connectivity will require a change of the URL and Party Key from CAB to NHS e-RS environment.

• SDS data (PAS end points, Organisation and Person details) will be synchronised with SDS.

• Our intention is to migrate existing Service and Booking data from the legacy CAB environment to the new NHS e-RS equivalent where an equivalency exists.

26

NHS e-Referral Contacts

27

• For supplier testing enquiries please contact the Solution Assurance Service Desk:sa.servicedesk@hscic.gov.uk 01392 206 066

• Follow us on Twitter @nhsereferral

• For more information on NHS e-Referral Service see: www.hscic.gov.uk/ers

• To sign up to the e-Referral Bulletin please visit: http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/ers/signup

• For additional queries, please contact the NHS e-RS programme at: nhs.ers@hscic.gov.uk

Follow us:@hscic@hscicmedia@hscicOpenData@HSCIC_LSP@EPSnhs@NHSSCR@NHSPathways@NHSereferral

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hscic/https://www.linkedin.com/company/health-and-social-care-information-centrehttp://www.slideshare.net/HSCIChttps://www.youtube.com/user/HSCIC1

Call us on: 0845 300 6016Email us at enquiries@hscic.gov.uk

To find out more about the HSCIC