PDS FHIR API - application-restricted / smartcardless access

63 votes

Enhance the PDS FHIR API so it can be accessed without an authenticated end user present (i.e. without the need for a smartcard) - similar to the way PDS Spine Mini Service Provider works.

Done api make-design-and-build-easier pds-fhir-api platform-phase-2 Suggested by: Tony Heap (11 Jul, '20) • Upvoted: 01 Feb • Comments: 12

Comments: 12

04 Aug, '20
API Management Team
Really pleased to announce that we have completed discovery for this work now and have started building our alpha. This will include a new unattended access authentication method, additional data items within the payload and much more, all from within our new PDS FHIR API. Please let me know if you'd like to know more or if you want to help us try the alpha out once it's ready.
07 Aug, '20
Fiona Muir
Hi - interested in the scope of this, same messaging scope as the spine mini service or for updates as well?
07 Aug, '20
James
Hello Mike, I would like to try out the alpha once it's ready please.
10 Aug, '20
API Management Team
Hi Fiona, the scope will be unattended search and retrieve for the alpha. There are no plans at the moment to have unattended updates to PDS but if that is an important feature for you please suggest it via these pages, other members of the development community can then "upvote" it.
10 Aug, '20
API Management Team
Hi James, please drop me an email at mike.mcatominey2@nhs.net and we can add you on.
05 Sep, '20
Sagar
Hello Mike, can you please add me to alpha access.
13 Oct, '20
JKMCS
Please to hear that Alpha is already underway. Looking forward to hearing more
13 Nov, '20
Tony Heap Admin
This API is now available in Alpha. We've updated the API specification at https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue/personal-demographics-service-fhir to explain how it works. It's available for testing in the sandbox and also in the integration testing environment. It is not yet available for onboarding or production use - we're working on those. Please get in touch at api.management@nhs.net with any questions and/or to be an early adopter.
14 Jan, '21
Andy Freeburn
Any details on when we can expect this to move from Alpha to Beta for production use?
15 Jan, '21
Alex Lord Admin
Within the next few weeks Andy. You can already test your software (check out our integration testing section within our spec); we are just sorting out the onboarding process.
28 Jan, '21
Tony Heap
Our PDS FHIR API is now available for production use in application-restricted access mode.

Application-restricted access mode means you don’t need a strongly-authenticated healthcare worker (with a smartcard or modern equivalent) at the screen. It does, however, give you limited access - you can’t do updates and you can only get single, unique results from a search.

We recommend using this API rather than PDS SMSP – it has similar security requirements and gives access to more data fields.

The API is in beta, meaning we might make breaking changes, but only if we can't avoid it, and we'll give advance notice.

For more details, including how to onboard, see https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue/personal-demographics-service-fhir.
28 Jul, '21
Alex Lord Admin
I am pleased to announce that this API is now in stable release.