Connecting to the NHS Digital Integration (INT) environment

This section provides the basic steps for connecting to the INT environment for the specific purpose of undertaking conformance testing with NEMS.

You can find out more how to connect to NHS Digital Integration environment (INT) through the Path to Live guidance.  

Requesting access to test data is not required for conformance testing with NEMS.

While Smartcards are a requirement to consume NEMS as a subscriber in the Live environment, they are not necessarily required to complete conformance testing with the NEMS in the INT environment. Identity agent client software is also not necessarily required to complete conformance testing with the NEMs in the INT environment.

For more support email the NHS Digital Platforms support desk.  

3. Register the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) with the NHS DNS team

Provide the HSCN-facing IP address, (with an appropriately formatted test FQDN), so that it can be registered on the NHS Digital DNS.

The following requirements for endpoints must be met:

• the FQDN must end in nhs.uk
• endpoints must be on port 443
• endpoints must not include explicit port declarations (for example, 443)

4. Configure firewalls

Make sure firewalls allow appropriate inbound and outbound messages.

5. Complete local environment setup

Once NHS Digital has the CSR and the service registration has been completed the party key will be sent, ASID and digital certificate to enable connection to the INT environment for the final tests.

NEMS for subscription

For events like NIPE outcome, new born, blood spot (digital child health events)

IP Address: 10.239.14.26

1. Port: 443 TCP
2. Spine Party Key: YES-0000806
3. NEMS ASID: 200000000306
4. SSP Proxy URL: proxy.int.spine2.ncrs.nhs.uk
5. IP Addresses:  10.239.14.31
6. Port: 443 TCP
7. LDAP URL**: ldap.nis1.national.ncrs.nhs.uk
8.  IP Address: 10.196.94.141
9.  Port: 636 TCP

As part of the generic subscriptions or provider specific subscriptions, when a MESH mailbox is being set up for a customer/provider, it is that ODS code that must be populated. 

When you are requesting a mailbox, this must be related to the ODS code of your customer and not your supplier ODS code.  Therefore, for future rollouts a different MESH mailbox will be required for each provider ODS code. 

For publishers, the ODS code for the MESH account and the ODS code for the endpoint must be the same as these are validated as part of the publishing process.

MESH does not guarantee that messages published in a chronological order will be received in a chronological order. 

Suppliers who receive messages via MESH will need to be able to handle out of order sequencing of messages, meta.lastUpdated element facilitates this,

To allow a consumer to perform message sequencing, the event MUST include the meta.lastUpdated element within the MessageHeader resource allowing the consumer to identify the latest and most up to date information.