Transformation Directorate

API management programme, NHS Digital

Owner

The API Management Programme is owned by NHS Digital. A wealth of useful components, including a service template, multiple APIs and related management utilities are provided under the MIT Licence, which allows for free use of the software for modification, distribution, private use and commercial use.

I was really pleased to see how much open source software is in use in NHS Digital, I’ve only been here a couple of years. The world out there is very complicated, so you need the right tool for the right job. The big vendors sell you good tools, but not always the right tool for the right job. And that's where the open source community really comes in.

Aubyn Crawford, Solution Architect, NHS Digital

Background

Application Process Interfaces (APIs) allow software applications to integrate with other apps and web services, sharing data and functionality from one product or project to the next. API Gateways and platforms are a key internet technology, handling protection and publication of data and services from and to third parties. They rely heavily on agreed standards and consistent, well documented protocols.

Situation

As an increasingly digital service, the NHS requires a consistent, centralised front door to its API-enabled data and services.

Aspiration

  • Support the NHS Open API policy.
  • Make integration with APIs faster, easier and less fragmented to promote better interfaces and interoperability.

Solution and impact

NHS Digital have published an expansive catalogue of APIs on a single platform, making it much easier to find, adopt and use them, while encouraging digital innovation (through service and data re-use) across the NHS. The team found that designing and implementing an automated process from the very start of the project (with Continuous Integration / Continuous Development pipelines) helped to prioritise and use the most appropriate tools and best practices from day one: including open source software and approaches, without which the high quality engineering of the project wouldn’t have been as easy to achieve. This forethought meant a slightly slower start to the programme, but over the longer term individual projects have moved much faster, with greater delegation to the teams publishing specific APIs.

Functionality

The API Management programme publishes national data and service APIs using a cloud based API Gateway. The API Platform:

  • Allows for fully automated and mostly self-serve publication of APIs.
  • Automatically publishes information following the Open API Specification (OAS) standard, which helps users understand, implement and replicate APIs.
  • Provides a Digital Onboarding Service (DOS) that tracks content from different sources and helps explain complex implementation requirements across healthcare: such that users can navigate relevant assurance needs.

Capabilities

Greater uptake of proven and supported APIs can help deliver more simple, secure and accurate websites, better applications for healthcare workers and patients, and better service delivery. The platform and portal:

  • are self-serve, letting API users manage their components, secure connection credentials and settings.
  • ensure that any API published through it can be secured with NHS (CIS2) smartcards for healthcare workers or NHS login for patients
  • provide in-built rate limiting and centralised logging using Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines

Scope

This service is very much designed for developers within and outside the NHS, but helps to enable web-first products that support patients and users at healthcare sites or at home.

Key learning points

  • High quality documentation has been critical, reducing the support burden significantly
  • Those producing APIs were not that interested in the platform’s detailed capabilities, but clear requirement patterns emerged between teams.
  • A super flexible solution is more future-proof, but a simplified API creation process would have worked for many teams

Digital equalities

API Management enables software suppliers and system integrators to reduce digital inequality through tried and tested external tools and interfaces.

Links and Resources

Public facing documentation:

Overview of what the NHS Digital API Platform is: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/api-platform#overview

The programme vision and mission are published here:

NHS Digital Developer Zone:

GitHub open repositories:

Two examples (out of many) API proxy repositories:

Give us feedback

Open Source Digital Playbook feedback survey

Disclaimer

These case studies summarise user and patient experiences with digital solutions along the relevant care pathway. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the apps and digital tools referenced are not supplied, distributed or endorsed by NHS England or the Department of Health and Social Care and such parties are not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from their use.

All playbook case studies have either passed, or are currently undergoing the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) assessment.

Please note the full legal disclaimer: NHS England playbook disclaimer

Page last updated: September 2022