GP Connect
Published on: 22nd June 2020 | Updated on: 15th April 2024
GP Connect (sometimes referred to as NHS Direct Care APIs) is an NHS IT service that allows GP practices and authorised healthcare staff (e.g. relevant pharmacy team members) to share and view electronic health records, appointments information, and data between IT systems.
GP Connect functionality includes:
- GP Connect: Access Record – which allows authorised healthcare staff to view a patient’s record held by the GP practice
- GP Connect: Update Record – which allows authorised healthcare staff to send information to the patient’s record held by the GP practice
- Appointment Management which lets users share and manage appointments
The current planned pharmacy usage of GP Connect involves pharmacy IT suppliers using GP Connect: Update Record and GP Connect: Access Record in relation to the Pharmacy First service.
This functionality is currently being developed, with some IT system suppliers starting to roll out Update Record.
Access Record seeks to make patient medical information available to pharmacy professionals when and where they need it to support direct patient care improving both care and outcomes.
NHS England is working with Pharmacy First IT system suppliers to add Access Record functionality to their systems. In the meantime, pharmacists providing the Pharmacy First service can continue to access elements of the patient’s GP record via the National Care Records Service (NCRS).
| Prescribing system | Access Record rollout status (prescribing systems) |
| SystmOne (TPP) | Early testing and rollout (during April 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
| EMIS [prescribing system] | Early testing and rollout (during March/April 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
| Vision (InPS) | To be determined |
There are four pharmacy IT suppliers working on Access Record integrations:
| Pharmacy CPCF IT system supplier and system | Access Record rollout status (pharmacy systems) |
| Cegedim Pharmacy Services | Early testing and rollout (during March 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
| EMIS Pinnacle PharmOutcomes | Early testing and rollout (during March 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
| Positive Solutions HxConsult | Early testing and rollout (during March 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
| Sonar Informatics | Early testing and rollout (during March 2024 onwards until rollout is completed) |
Pharmacy responsibilities as the data controller have not changed as a result of this new system.
The same duties of transparency apply as before and patients should be made aware that their data is being shared under the legal basis of implied consent for direct care. The system has been nationally assured as being safe, secure and meeting appropriate standards for sharing clinical information.
Pharmacy owners registering to provide the Pharmacy First service via the Manage Your Service (MYS) system confirmed their acceptance of use of GP Connect.
The requirements around use of GP Connect include that it will only be used for direct care. It is also necessary that the annual Data Security and Protection Toolkit is completed each year (this is already a regulatory requirement for all pharmacies) and pharmacy procedures align with data protection legislation.
The patient privacy notice template from our data security templates webpage explains to patients that relevant clinical information may be shared with the NHS and other healthcare professionals as appropriate. This template can be used to cover the usage of GP Connect.
Privacy / transparency notice (wording for websites or patient information leaflets for folding)
The relevant passage within the template sets out that:
“Your care: providing pharmacy services and care to you and, as appropriate, receiving service and health records information if you have selected our pharmacy and sharing your information with your GP and others in the wider NHS”
Information for pharmacy IT system suppliers and other developers can be found at:
The CP ITG summer 2022 meeting also set out steps for suppliers and pharmacy contractors to integrate with GPC Access Records.
Return to the Pharmacy IT hub; Standards and Interoperability or IT a-z index.
