Registration Authority - NHS Spine & Healthcare IT Integration

THIS’ RA service currently supports over 400 customer organisations - that is approximately 40,000 active NHS Smartcards - which include foundation trusts, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), GP practices, pharmacies, local authorities, social enterprises, hospices and universities.

We host RA sessions in Halifax, Huddersfield, Elland, Bradford and Leeds.

Our Elland sessions are daily during office hours with all other sessions held fortnightly, monthly or on an ad-hoc basis to satisfy demand.

What is NHS Spine?

NHS Spine is a messaging portal at the heart of health and social care in England, Wales and the Isle of Man.

It supports and connects the infrastructure of more than 44,000 healthcare IT systems in 26,000 organisations. Up to 500,000 health professionals use it daily and 43 million messages are sent and received relating to national services such as:

• SystmOne 
• EMIS 
• EPR (Electronic Patient Record)
• Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
• Personal Demographics Service (PDS)
• National Care Records Service (NCRS)
• e-Referral Service
• Patient Flags Service API
• Other systems including bespoke internal clinical systems

The NHS Spine Portal

Real-time patient data provided by the Spine portal supports frontline healthcare. It is used by:

• Ambulance services
• Pharmacies
• GPs and GP practices
• Health visitors
• Child health information services
• Clinicians

It means healthcare professionals can rapidly access and exchange critical patient information using the national services listed above.

The Health Informatics Service (THIS) provides Registration Authority (RA) services that connect healthcare professionals with the various national services accessed via the Spine.

Your NHS Smartcard

If your healthcare role entails accessing clinical and personal data, you will need an NHS Smartcard, which is part of a Care Identity profile that will be created for you.

During this process, your identity needs to be verified. This can be done in person via a Registration Authority (RA) service, or through the Apply for Care ID service.

Managing the registration and allocation of smartcards can be a complicated and time-consuming process. 

Our RA service representatives have expert knowledge of the NHS Spine and the smartcard issuing process and are able to assist you with everything relating to smartcards, including full sponsor training and advice and guidance.

Our RA service options – gold and silver

Our RA service provide a two-tiered, gold and silver, service offering – both of which have several elements in common. They are:

• Customer organisational ID Checkers and Sponsors – these must be present and will need to be identified. ID Checkers support the NHS Smartcard application process whilst sponsors not only support the application process but have the knowledge of the level of access an individual should have. Sponsors are likely to be operational heads, managers or administrators within a practice, clinic, ward or department.
• Customer organisational Local Smartcard Administrators (LSA)  - these may be required and if so, would need to be identified. LSAs are likely to be a team leader, manager or administrator and can provide non-urgent help and advice.

We’re here when you need us.

If staff within customer organisations experience problems using their NHS Smartcard that cannot be resolved by their organisational ID Checker or Sponsor, or want to raise any RA-related query, incident, request for guidance/training or to obtain support, they can contact our service desk. This enables a single point of contact and is staffed between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Gold – managed service (recommended)

Our gold service is an end-to-end managed service, which enables us to provide enhanced quality (consistency and greater standardisation) and security to the smartcard production and position allocation process, through additional responsibilities being retained by centralised and highly experienced THIS RA professionals.

Key service elements

All sponsors must complete their RA e-learning and provide a copy of their certificate to THIS RA prior to the sponsor position being added to their smartcard.

The local sponsor within each organisation will invite an individual to utilise the ‘Apply for Care ID Service’, the user downloads the app, follows the link sent by the sponsor, and uploads their own ID into the system. 

This is verified by NHS England and if suitable, a smartcard number (UUID) is created. Once the UUID has been created, the sponsor or new user must then log a job with The Health Informatics Service desk for the attention of our RA service and a smartcard is printed ready for collection or sent via the post dependant on the user’s locality. 

Or

The local sponsor will authorise the RA to complete the full registration for the new starter due to limitations with the new user’s ID, via a face-to-face appointment.

THIS RA will call the user back within 24 hours (excluding bank holidays and weekends) and arrange a suitable appointment date, time, and location. Locations are selected to benefit the end user, with the team having the ability to travel to the customer’s location of choice.

At the face-to-face appointment our RA agent will independently complete all the necessary identity checks: 1 x photo ID and 2 x proof of address OR 2 x photo ID and 1 x proof of address, upload 1 photo of the new user and enter forename, surname, date-of-birth, National Insurance number and contact details. 

The new smartcard user will receive their smartcard at their appointment.  While the card is being printed the new user is asked to read the terms and conditions of smartcard use, and opportunities are given to raise any queries or questions of concern. 

The new user is then advised to contact their sponsor following the appointment to allow for the smartcard position(s) to be added. These details can be provided, where necessary, to THIS RA, to allow them to add the relevant role at the point of registration.

Silver – support and administrative service

A functional support type service, where greater responsibility for accurate position allocation and consistency checking lies with customer organisations.

Key service elements

All customer organisations must have an Identity Checker in place. The ID Checker must complete their Registration Authority e-learning and provide a copy of their certificate to THIS RA prior to the Identity Checker position being added to their smartcard.

Once approved, ID Checker responsibilities include:

Registering the new user onto the Care Identity Management System (CIM) by adhering to ‘NHS Employers Identity Checks’ guidance - (this includes entering 1 x photo ID and 2 x proof of address OR 2 x photo ID and 1 x proof of address, uploading 1 photo of the new user and entering forename, surname, date-of-birth, National Insurance Number and contact details). 

The ID Checker must then log the card production job with THIS RA, via our service desk, we will print and either post out the smartcard, or arrange for collection depending on the user’s locality.

The new smartcard user must then contact their sponsor who will add the appropriate positions.