Development guidance

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

• GP Connect Data Model | FHIR STU3 Representation
  The Design section includes foundational principles that support both technical implementation and clinical governance.

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 data in GP Connect.
• Security
  Security principles and requirements for GP Connect API development.
• Error handling
  Strategies for managing and reporting errors in GP Connect APIs.

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 connecting GP Connect services to the 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 messaging.
• Spine Secure Proxy
  Information on using the Spine Secure Proxy for secure API communication.

Access Record: Structured

• GP Connect Access Record: Structured – Implementation Guide
  Learn how to retrieve structured, coded patient data from GP systems using FHIR STU3. This guide supports developers and clinical safety teams with resource mappings, design principles, and clinical area-specific guidance. Includes release notes.

• 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
  Learn how to retrieve clinical documents from GP systems using FHIR STU3. This guide supports developers and clinical safety teams with implementation details, resource mappings, and guidance for handling document types and metadata. Includes release notes.

• 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 any GP Connect capability.

Access Record: HTML

• GP Connect Access Record: HTML development guidance
  Introduction to the GP Connect Access Record HTML capability - includes supported record sections, use cases, layout standards, and Spine interactions.

• 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 any GP Connect capability.

• 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 services.

Explore additional resources to support your development and implementation of GP Connect services.

• GP Connect specifications for developers
  Guidance for software suppliers aiming to integrate with GP Connect services.
• 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.