Continuation and/or Adoption
This page tracks how NHS App access and service continuity should be introduced or restored when a patient moves into or out of MOD DPHC Firmbase or DPHC Overseas [DPHC(O)] registration.
Use Guidance Decision Model for the current guidance-facing status by cohort, feature, route, and evidence state. Use Registration State Model before applying any decision.
Working Model
| Stage | Risk | Evidence needed |
|---|---|---|
| Existing NHS App user joins DPHC Firmbase registration | GP-linked features may change if Primary Care Registration Management (PCRM) changes the registered GP in Personal Demographics Service (PDS). | Primary Care Registration Management (PCRM) outcome, before/after PDS state, GP2GP or other record transfer, and NHS App feature evidence. |
| New Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) patient tries to register | Public NHS account eligibility depends on GP surgery in England; PCRM's stated scope includes Defence Medical Services (DMS) but does not prove patient or practice outcomes. | DPHC registration interpretation by NHS account/NHS App, named-practice PCRM/PDS state, and feature tests. |
| Patient moves to DPHC(O) | NHS App and GP-linked features may depend on Defence Global Practice, DPHC(O) registration, PCRM transition outcome, or NHS GP registration state. | DPHC(O) cohort guidance, PCRM/PDS/Organisation Data Service (ODS) state, record-transfer outcome, and feature tests. |
| Programme Cortisone rollout | New MOD system may alter integration with NHS. | Technical and operational scope for NHS App, GP Connect PFS, Interface Mechanism 1 (IM1), Spine Directory Service (SDS), NHS Notify, Patient Care Aggregator / Wayfinder, Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH)/API routes, and partner onboarding. |
Use NHS App Adoption and Implementation for the delivery horizons and technical phase references. All DPHC patients are registered as NHS England patients irrespective of where they live in the UK, so the access scope is UK-wide. Mobile access, core national services, and relevant appointment information from participating NHS providers in England are the initial delivery horizon. One-way Firmbase reminders are a separate bounded workstream that begins alongside current SMS; any later App-first delivery or replacement of routine SMS needs measured evidence and a recorded decision. Primary healthcare (PHC) inventory, management, and wider clinical data are later funded capabilities.
Current Position
NHS England states that people registered at a DMS surgery cannot currently use the mobile NHS App. That current position is no longer an open yes/no question. Keep evidence-boundary language for the enabling mechanism, transition behaviour, named cohorts, access modes, and service-specific outcomes.