National Record Locator roadmap

Future changes planned and past changes delivered for the National Record Locator.

Strategy

The National Record Locator service is currently undergoing transformation under the NRL programme.

Our main strategic objectives are:

build a new version of the National Record Locator API that uses FHIR R4 and the NHS Digital API platform - which will make integration easier
provide patient authenticated access to the new API
add new pointer types to the new API
make sure all Shared Care Records are integrated with the new API

What has previously been referred to as 'NRL Futures' is now known as 'NRL v.3.0

This roadmap was last reviewed by the team on 03 September 2024.

Uplift NRL v.3.0 to ‘gold’ level service
Two new pointer types added for the ‘Advance care plan’ and ‘Treatment escalation plan'
Migration of some additional data from the NRL v.2.8 service to the NRL v.3.0 service, ensuring ease of migration to NRL v.3.0 for providers
Deploying the NCRS integration with NRL v.3.0. Once this is complete, all consumers will have been migrated off the legacy NRL v.2.8, and we can start planning the migration of providers

Add one new pointer type, ‘Shared Care Record Summary Sheets’. The West Midlands Shared Care Record will be the 'First of Type' provider to go live on NRL v.3.0, as well as consuming other pointers
Devon and Cornwall are going to be fast followers and are due to go live with NRL v.3.0. They will be registering ‘Treatment escalation plans’ as well as consuming other pointers
Improvements to reporting
Commencement of alpha’s for new diagnostic imaging pointer types on NRL v.3.0, including an MHDS wrapper, retrieval proxy and XCA gateway

Enabling patient authenticated access to NRL v.3.0, so that the Patient Care Aggregator service can consume these pointers, and send retrieved booking and referrals information to the NHS App for citizens to view
Outcome of alpha’s for new diagnostic imaging pointer types on NRL v.3.0. including an ‘MHDS wrapper’, ‘retrieval proxy’ and XCG gateway

Delivered feature parity between the NRL v.2.8 and NRL v.3.0 services, so that it is easier for providers to migrate from the legacy service to the replacement service
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are live on NRL v.2.8, and are registering ReSPECT forms
Introduction of a new ‘Lloyd George Record Folder’ pointer type on NRL v.3.0, so that practices can access the previously ‘paper based’ elements of a patients record, in the event that information is missing from a patients EHR, or they need the full details from the original documents (providers are as yet to add pointers to records)
New test harness to assist suppliers onboarding to NRL v.3.0

Improved auditing so that we can monitor the service more pro-actively
NRL v3.0 service technically live for new providers to onboard
Booking and referral pointer types can now be registered on the new NRL v3.0 service
Migration of all STU3 pointers from the current NRL v2.8 service to NRL v.3.0, so consumers on NRL v.3.0 can access all pointers
Ongoing 'one-directional data sync’ between current NRL v2.8 and NRL v.3.0, so the pointers can be retrieved via NRL v.3.0
‘Count’ functionality added to NRL v.3.0, so consumers can check whether there are any pointers for a patient, before having to authenticate, to save time

To discuss and provide input to our strategy and roadmap, contact us.

Last edited: 6 September 2024 3:11 pm