Comparative Analysis
This page separates patient-facing NHS App capability from the service and architecture layers that may determine Defence Medical Command (DMedC) / Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) continuation and/or adoption.
| Layer | Ordinary NHS App / GP route | DMedC / DPHC question |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Public NHS guidance requires age 13+ and registration with a GP surgery in England. | Does DPHC registration satisfy the relevant GP registration condition for every NHS App feature? |
| Identity | NHS account and NHS login provide access to the NHS App. | Are there MOD-specific identity, posting, DPHC Overseas [DPHC(O)], or proxy-access edge cases? |
| Registered GP | Personal Demographics Service (PDS) holds registered GP practice information and Organisation Data Service (ODS) identifies organisations. | Which DPHC ODS codes and GP-system supplier records are exposed to NHS App / GP Connect flows? |
| Interface and assurance layer | Official NHS routes distinguish NHS API Platform, GP Connect, Spine Directory Service (SDS) endpoint lookup, Interface Mechanism 1 (IM1), NHS Notify API / Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH), Patient Care Aggregator / Wayfinder integration APIs, and partner onboarding controls. | Which exact interface, supplier pairing, practice enablement, onboarding route, and assurance status applies to each DMedC / DPHC feature claim? |
| Adoption and implementation phases | NHS App provision, Secondary healthcare (SHC) appointments, Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) Primary healthcare (PHC) appointment visibility, DMICP PHC appointment management, clinical correspondence, test results, and GP-linked record routes are separate service paths. | Which phase is in scope, and what is the cohort, source system, patient-facing route, and assurance status for that phase? |
| GP record | GP Connect Patient Facing Access Record supports patient-facing GP record access. | Are DPHC GP records onboarded and authorised for this patient-facing API path? |
| Repeat prescriptions | GP Connect PFS prescriptions supports repeat-prescription requests, while Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is a distinct prescription infrastructure. | Which parts of the prescription journey are available for DPHC patients, and where does EPS apply? |
| Appointments | NHS App roadmap and feature pages include appointment-related work, while GP appointment integration evidence includes GP Connect Appointment Management and IM1 Pairing routes. | Which DPHC cohorts can see appointments, which can manage appointments, is the route SHC or DMICP PHC, and has the 2024 Defence Medical Services (DMS) / DPHC appointment-booking access issue been resolved? |
| Secondary-care referrals and bookings | Patient Care Aggregator / Wayfinder aggregates e-RS and participating secondary-care booking-system / Patient Engagement Portal (PEP) data for display in the NHS App, then deep-links to e-RS or Patient Engagement Portals (PEPs) for details and supported management actions. | Do DPHC Firmbase or DPHC(O) referral pathways create e-RS or trust booking records visible to this route? |
| Messaging | NHS Notify sends NHS App messages, email, SMS, and letters, using PDS for contact-detail and contactability checks; NHS App Notifications and Messaging onboarding runs through NHS Notify. | Can DMedC / DPHC send through NHS Notify, and do DPHC cohorts require non-PDS contact data or special fallback handling? |
| Patient engagement portals | PEPs in Wayfinder are secondary-care portal / supplier systems; wider NHS guidance also uses PEP for results release, eForms, PIFU, and provider-specific digital routes. | Which PEP meaning applies to each DPHC evidence item, and is it NHS App-specific or only generally digital-health relevant? |
| Clinical correspondence and test results | NHS App evidence includes SHC documents and GP health-record document/result views, while NHS England guidance separately covers PEP results-release safety controls. | Is the correspondence or result visible through a PEP, GP health-record view, provider document route, or later CORTISONE patient-data route? |
| Annual-report evidence | Armed Forces Covenant reports contain pre-2020 general digital-health and MOD/NHS record-transfer evidence, CORTISONE evidence from 2020 onward, and a direct 2024 NHS App appointment issue. | Which annual-report findings translate into actual NHS App feature behaviour, and which are only adjacent continuity risks? |
| New MOD system | The CORTISONE programme is described as integrating with the NHS. Preserve source wording: SRC-027 uses both Programme Cortisone and Programme CORTISONE; SRC-039 uses Op CORTISONE for the same programme strand unless later evidence distinguishes it. |
Which NHS APIs and patient-facing service routes are included in the integration? |
| CORTISONE / InterSystems patient data | Programme CORTISONE and InterSystems evidence supports supplier and integration-platform tracking, including HealthShare Unified Care Record (UCR), Health Connect / Integration Platform evidence, and Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI) as relevant concepts. | Does CORTISONE publish patient-facing data through IM1, GP Connect Patient Facing APIs, NHS App integration, or another assured route, and for which DPHC cohorts? |