Development guidance

Explore how GP Connect represents clinical data using the FHIR STU3 standard.

• GP Connect Data Model | FHIR STU3 Representation
  Key principles that support the technical implementation of systems that interact with GP Connect data.

These essential topics guide you through implementing, securing, and integrating GP Connect services across NHS systems.

• FHIR library
  Overview of reusable FHIR components used across GP Connect APIs.
• FHIR implementation
  Guidance on implementing FHIR standards within GP Connect services.
• General API guidance
  Best practices and standards for developing GP Connect APIs.
• Branch surgeries
  Information on handling branch surgery configurations in GP Connect.
• Security
  Security principles and requirements for GP Connect API development.
• Error handling
  Guidance on how to handle errors in GP Connect API requests.
• Volumetric and performance
  Details of the GP Connect API volume and performance characteristics.
• Non-functional requirements
  Details of system attributes such as security, reliability, maintainability, scalability, and usability.

These topics show you how to connect your system to NHS infrastructure and manage secure, reliable data exchange across GP Connect services:

• Integrate with Spine
  Instructions for integrating with Spine infrastructure.
• Cross-organisation audit and provenance
  Guidance on tracking data access and provenance across organisations.
• Spine Directory Service - overview and querying
  Details on using SDS to locate and query GP practices.
• Spine Directory Service - registering systems
  Steps for registering systems with SDS for GP Connect.
• Interaction IDs
  Explanation of interaction identifiers used in GP Connect.
• Spine Secure Proxy
  Information on using the Spine Secure Proxy for controlled access to GP IT systems.

Access Record: Structured

• GP Connect Access Record: Structured - Implementation Guide
  Guidance on how to retrieve structured, coded patient data from GP systems. This guide supports developers and clinical safety teams with resource mappings, design principles, and clinical area-specific guidance.

• GP Connect Access Record: Structured - FHIR API
  This page in the API and integration catalogue includes technical specifications, interaction patterns, supported clinical data types, and links to test environments.

Access Document

• GP Connect: Access Document - Implementation Guide
  Guidance on how to retrieve clinical documents from GP systems. This guide supports developers and clinical safety teams with implementation details, resource mappings, and guidance for handling document types and metadata.

• GP Connect: Access Document - FHIR API 
  This page in the API and integration catalogue includes technical specifications, prerequisites, and onboarding guidance for the Access Document capability, which enables the retrieval of clinical documents - such as letters and reports - from GP systems.

Foundations

• GP Connect: Foundations - FHIR
  Shows you the essential FHIR building blocks and Spine connectivity requirements you need before developing integration with any GP Connect capability.

Access Record: HTML

• GP Connect Access Record: HTML - Implementation Guide
  This guide explains how to implement the Access Record: HTML capability. It includes details on request and response structure, clinical safety, error handling, and integration with GP systems.

• GP Connect Access Record: HTML - FHIR API
  This page in the API and integration catalogue includes technical specifications, prerequisites, and onboarding guidance.

Foundations

• GP Connect Foundations - FHIR
  Shows you the essential FHIR building blocks and Spine connectivity requirements you need before developing integration with any GP Connect capability.

Explore additional resources to support your development and integration with GP Connect capabilities.

• GP Connect specifications for developers
  Guidance for software suppliers aiming to integrate with GP Connect capabilities.
• API and Integration Catalogue - GP Connect APIs
  Browse current NHS APIs, including GP Connect capabilities.
• Implementation guides
  Access FHIR-specific assets, profiles, and implementation examples.

• Developer Community: GP Connect
  Join discussions, ask questions, and share insights with others to stay up to date with news and changes to GP Connect.