Community Blog

What is Single Sign-On (SSO)? 

Single Sign-On (SSO) lets you log in to Futures using your existing NHS account, so you don’t need to create or remember another password. 

It also adds an extra layer of security by using the same trusted sign-in you already use for NHS systems. 

What this means for you: 

If you have an @nhs.net email address, you can sign in to Futures quickly and securely using your NHS login. 

Why use this? 

• No extra passwords 
  Use your NHS login instead of Futures password.  

• Faster access 
  Sign in quickly without going through password reset steps.  

• More secure 
  Uses the same trusted security as your NHS account.  

How to get started 

1. Go to the Futures login page  
2. Select “'Log in with nhs.net SSO' 

That’s it!  You’ll be signed in securely. 

Need help? 

Check our guidance, visit: Log in with single sign on (SSO) for NHS.net or NHS England Applications – Futures Support Centre 

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our support team at support@futurenhs.zendesk.com  

Over the past 12 months, the Greener Digital Futures workspace has gone through a significant refresh, designed to better support you and your teams in aligning with NHS legal obligations and sustainability goals. 

The Greener Digital Programme continues to empower the NHS to deliver low carbon, climate resilient digital health systems. Over the last two financial years, we have worked closely with ICBs to lead Greener by Design, an ambitious initiative embedding sustainable practices across digital health. 

While Greener by Design will officially launch across NHS England in 2026 to 2027, with rollout to providers from 2028 to 2029, there is plenty you can do now to get involved, understand the impact, and start adapting your work. 

Visit the refreshed workspace to explore, learn, and join the conversation. 

? What is new? 

• Supporting documentationfor Programme Business Cases and tooling 
  • Greener Digital RAG launched across the Transformation Directorate for business cases and self assessment 
  • Five Year Forward Look aligned to the 10 Year Health Plan’s digital aspirations 
  • AI Community of Practice and supporting guidance 

If you would like targeted support or have questions, contact england.greenerdigital@nhs.net 

We look forward to collaborating on the Greener Digital journey together. 

?Explore: Greener Digital Knowledge Hub - Futures 

Our Futures workspaces do an incredible job of supporting collaboration across teams. Over time as they grow, even the best run spaces naturally become more complex. Projects complete. Documents are replaced. Folders expand. And before we know it, it takes a little longer to find what we need. 

That is completely normal. 

It’s time to refresh your workspaces so they stay clear, relevant and easy to use. 

This is not a redesign. It is not a formal records management exercise. It is just a focused tidy up to make every day navigation faster and smoother for everyone. 

 

Why a tidy up matters? 

Our annual survey results told us that: 

• Sharing and searching for information are two of the primary reasons that members use Futures. It’s key as workspace managers that we make our content as easy to navigate as possible for members.  

• Documents and the search tool are in the top 3 most used features on Futures 

• The area that respondents thought could be most improved is the search function on Futures. Spring cleaning the content on your workspace will go some way to help improve the search. 

When outdated content accumulates, it creates subtle friction in the workspace. Reviewing and removing it makes important documents easier to find, reduces the time spent searching, increases confidence that the information being viewed is up to date, and ultimately improves the overall experience for everyone in the workspace. 

Where to start? 

You do not need to review everything at once.  

Over the coming weeks, we are encouraging workspace managers to set aside time to: 

• Review older or inactive projects
  • Archive completed work
  • Remove duplicate or superseded documents 
  • Delete empty folders 

If you are unsure whether something should be deleted, our guidance includes a simple decision process and safe options.  

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our support team at support@futurenhs.zendesk.com   

A small refresh now helps keep Futures clear and effective for everyone. Thank you for playing your part. 

 

We’re pleased to launch the Single Patient Record (SPR) workspace on the Futures Collaboration Platform. 

The SPR workspace is a new space that will bring patient data together into one secure, easy to access digital record. 

It has been created to support collaboration, learning, and shared understanding as work progresses towards a more joined up, patient-centred health record. It brings together colleagues from national, regional, and local teams to connect, exchange insights, and share resources in one place. 

What you’ll find in the SPR workspace 

The workspace is designed to support both strategic and practical work, including: 

• Updates on the SPR programme and related activity 

• Blogs and thought leadership from across the system 

• FAQs and guidance for teams involved in SPR delivery 

• Resources to support alignment with the 10 Year Health Plan 

• A space to share learning, questions, and experiences 

Whether you’re closely involved or simply want to stay informed, the workspace is there to help you connect with others and keep up to date. 

Get involved  - Join the Single Patient Record workspace - Futures today and be part of shaping how joined up patient records support better care across health and social care

Welcome to the new year! We hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break. 

As we step into the year ahead, it’s the perfect time to refresh, reset, and think about how your workspace shows up for your audience. Whether you’re revamping your setup or exploring new ways to promote and personalise your workspace, we’ve got something new to help you stand out. 

We’ve recently updated the Futures Marketing Tools page with an exciting new feature: workspace icons. 

You can now add a profile image to your workspace, giving it a clearer identity and a more professional look. To make this even easier, we’ve created a collection of ready-to-use icons designed specifically for workspaces by theme, here are some examples:

Getting started is simple: 

1. Choose your favourite icon 
2. Download your icon of choice 
3. Follow the steps in our support guide: Adding a workspace icon

It’s a small change that can make a big difference to how your workspace is recognised and remembered. 

Explore the new icons here: Workspace icons - Futures Workspace Managers Community - Futures 

Start the year with a workspace that stands out and reflects what it's about. 

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our support team at support@futurenhs.zendesk.com  

The 10 Year Plan for Health calls for us to work differently to collaborate across boundaries, share learning widely, and deliver meaningful improvements for people and communities.  

Futures is helping the world of health and care do just that.  

The Futures collaboration platform is where people across health and care come together to make a difference. It’s where ideas are tested, communities are built, and practical solutions emerge by supporting the delivery of high-quality care for all. 

Celebrating stories of our communities: 

We’ve created a brand new page called “Impact of Futures”, whichshowcases the wide range of ways that Futures is used: from supporting delivery of operational priorities to enabling professional communities.   

We’ve kept the page simple, clean and easy to navigate. Whether you’re a stakeholder interested in the difference Futures is making, or a project lead deciding whether the platform could support your work, it’s now easier than ever to see the impact in action. 

Our mission is to empower people to easily connect, share and learn across boundaries, by: 

​1. providing one secure collaboration platform open to everyone working in health and care ​ 
2. supporting and encouraging networks and communities to set up and thrive through our expert support service ​ 
3. signposting our users to relevant communities, resources, knowledge and good practice ​ 
4. building skills and encouraging leaders in virtual collaboration 

As Jim Mackey has said, delivering the ambitions of the 10 Year Plan depends on how we work, not just what we do.  

The updated page is now live. Take a look, be inspired by how others are using Futures to make a difference and see how it could help you achieve your goals too. 

Visit the Impact of Futures page: Impact of Futures - Futures public pages - Futures  

Our 2025 Annual Survey results are in!  

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences of using the Futures Collaboration platform. Your feedback plays a vital role in shaping how we continue to grow and improve the space where people across health and care come together to connect, share, learn, and collaborate. 

This year’s survey set out to better understand how you use the platform, what works well, and where we can do more to meet your needs. Your insights help us focus on what really matters ensuring Futures remains a trusted and secure space that is easy for everyone in health and care to use. 

Key findings from our survey: 

Key stats:  

• 54% of respondents use Futures at least once a week, demonstrating how embedded it is in workstreams 
• Futures meet well the needs of ​65% of respondents with accessibility needs​ 
• Collaboration is important for 95% of our users, and Futures plays an important part in this, meeting the collaboration needs of 63% of users 
• Futures makes a positive impact on users, especially knowledge, skills & confidence as professional, leading to 85% of users that will continue using Futures in the next year 
• More than 65% primarily use Futures for sharing information, finding information & learning from others 

Things you told us we're good at… 

1. Reach beyond boundaries: by connecting with peers across the country, no matter your role or organisation.  
2. Accessible knowledge:  a trusted, up to date library of information all in one place. 
3. Unbeatable network: it’s safe, active forums for sharing ideas and solving problems together. 
4. Secure platform:  a reliable, NHS backed space with flexible access controls. 
5. Flexible and supported:  it’s easy to use, free, and backed by a responsive support team. 
6. Real impact: helping teams innovate, collaborate, and share best practice without reinventing the wheel. 

“It’s a great space to network, innovate and communicate with people who have different goals and perspectives. It’s a safe space to ask questions, and everyone is genuinely curious about transforming health and social care.” - Annual survey participant  

We promise to keep improving:  

Although the annual survey gave some great insights into the positive impact, there is still room for improvement.  The survey flagged some areas that need work, including: 

• Search function performance needs to be more accurate 
• Navigation and User Interface feel outdated and limited, making it hard for users to move around and find what they need 
• The frequency of notifications 
• Accessing Futures and workspaces can feel overly complex for new users
• Request additional features, including a mobile app, online chat and meetings 

 “Some platforms are difficult / unclear to access which puts some colleagues off using it” - Annual survey participant   

 What happens next 

We’re already using what you’ve told us to guide future updates and improvements, so that your experience on the platform keeps getting better. We’ll continue sharing progress on how we’re acting on your feedback, so keep an eye on our updates.  

Thank you once again to everyone who took part. Your voice helps us create an optimised collaboration space for a thriving community of learning and practice. 

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at support@futurenhs.zendesk.com. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to protecting data and improving access to online platforms, we will be rolling out a security authentication method called Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all workspace managers on 11 November 2025. 

What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)? 

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security during the sign-in process after you enter your password. It requires you to verify your identity using a second sign-in method, such as a code sent to your phone or email. 

So, rather than just asking for a username and password, MFA requires you to provide one or more verification factors to gain access to a resource such as an application or online account. In this instance, this will be activated when you attempt to access your Futures account when you log in. 

MFA is used is to: 

• protect against unauthorised access: even if someone knows your password, they can’t access your account without the second verification step. 

• mitigate phishing and credential theft: adds a strong defence against common cyber threats. 

• align with NHS best practices: part of our broader strategy to improve cybersecurity and protect patient and staff data. 

We also encourage all users with NHS credentials to log in using Single Sign-On (SSO) for faster access to their accounts, reducing the need for a managing a Futures password.

 

What is Single Sign-On (SSO)? 

Single Sign-On (SSO) allows users to log in to Futures using their existing NHS credentials. You can use SSO on Futures with the same details you use to access: 

• NHS.net Connect (formerly known as NHSmail) - e.g. If you’ve got an nhs.net email, just use it with your usual password. The same one you use for email or tools like Microsoft Office 365. When you log into your computer with these details, you might not need to do anything else to access Futures. 

• NHS England apps (formerly known as Okta) - e.g. If you use Model Hospital or Tableau 

• Other supported NHS identity providers 

This is an additional way of checking that it is really you when you log in to your account. 

 

 What’s Next? 

If you are a workspace manager, look out for reminder emails and setup instructions ahead of the 11th November rollout. 

 

Get support and set up guidance 

To get started, please view our guidance below: 

• Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your Futures account 

• Accessing your account if are unable to use your authentication app 

• Installing an authenticator app for multi-factor authentication (MFA) 

• Changing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to every 30 days on your device 

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our support team at support@futurenhs.zendesk.com  

Many people join Futures because they’ve heard about or been invited to a specific workspace. However, there’s a wide range of other workspaces you might find valuable — and you can join them too. 

What’s new? 

To help users find relevant workspaces, we’ve refreshed Futures for You, which highlights workspaces by broad areas of interest (for example, primary care, maternity, or quality and improvement). 

We’ve also added new sections aligned with the Ten Year Health Plan, including Neighbourhood Health and Children and Young People. 

How to find any workspace 

Futures for You showcases only national workspaces. For most topics, there are also regional and local options. It’s easy to explore what’s available — simply go to Find a Workspace and use the search box to look by any specific topic, region, ICS, or place. 

Some workspaces allow you to join immediately, while others may require approval from a workspace manager. 

Take a moment to explore Futures and find the workspaces that can support your goals. 

 

We’re thrilled to announce that we have hit the incredible milestone of 500,000 members on the Futures Collaboration Platform! This achievement is not just about numbers; it’s a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the shared commitment of health and care professionals to make a difference. 

Since its inception, the platform has evolved significantly, becoming a vital space for connecting individuals and fostering collaboration across health and care. Our journey has been shaped by your engagement, feedback, and contributions. 

Some of our achievements over the years: 

• Rapid scaling to support the Covid-19 pandemic response  
• NHS Improvement Award Winners 2022 
• Shortlisted for Smarter Working Awards 2023 
• Shortlisted for HSJ Digital Awards 2024 
• Supporting over 3000 different health and care communities to thrive on Futures  

Real impact from Future’s workspaces: 

•  Vaccinations and Screening – Building on its Covid-19 response, Futures now underpins NHS vaccination and screening programmes. It provides timely, secure access to essential information, dashboards, and guidance, helping commissioners and providers deliver effectively. There is now a new system called Manage Your Appointments, which enables sites to manage vaccination availability through the National Booking Service (NBS). It replaced Q-Flow in August 2025. 
• Safeguarding  – Futures has enabled a national community of practice to tackle neglect, harm, and abuse, giving voice to lived experience, carers, and practitioners, while supporting safer care for children and adults at risk. 
• Cancer Alliances – Since 2017, Futures has been pivotal in uniting Cancer Alliances, national and regional teams to drive NHS cancer priorities. The workspace is now a hub for resources, guidance, and collaboration, improving patient outcomes. 

Every achievement we have reached reflects your trust and commitment to making this platform a space for meaningful interaction. Your contributions have driven its development. As we reach this milestone, we are motivated to continue improving the platform. We are committed to supporting you in navigating the evolving landscape of health and care. 

This milestone belongs to everyone. Together, we have built a community that values innovation, supports professional growth, and drives impactful change. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. We’d love to hear from you.... What outcomes has the Futures platform supported you to achieve? Share your story in the comments or highlight your favourite workspace.  

Let’s celebrate this milestone together!