Spine Services
Spine is NHS national infrastructure used by multiple national services. In GP Connect architecture and registered-GP booking guidance, different capabilities can use different routes, including Spine Secure Proxy (SSP), Spine Directory Service (SDS) endpoint lookup, Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH), and NHS API Platform patterns.
Do not collapse these with Interface Mechanism 1 (IM1). IM1 is a supplier-specific GP clinical-system interface and pairing route, while Spine Directory Service, Spine Secure Proxy, MESH, and NHS API Platform are national routing, lookup, or platform patterns used by different NHS services and APIs.
Role in NHS App Architecture
Spine-related services sit below visible NHS App features. They can support identity, routing, endpoint discovery, secure proxying, messaging, or national API patterns depending on the route.
Route Placement
| Spine-related element | Route placement |
|---|---|
| Spine Directory Service | Endpoint lookup in registered-GP and booking / referral patterns. |
| Spine Secure Proxy | Secure proxy pattern for some GP Connect professional APIs. |
| MESH | Message route used in several NHS integration patterns, including NHS Notify and GP Connect contexts. |
| Spine national infrastructure | Underlying national infrastructure for multiple NHS services. |
DPHC Relevance
Spine-related components matter when Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) systems need to act like ordinary NHS systems for identity, routing, secure API calls, records, prescribing, referrals, or messaging.
Dependencies
| Dependency | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Personal Demographics Service (PDS) and Organisation Data Service (ODS) context | Endpoint and service routing often starts from patient and organisation identity. |
| Service-specific endpoint lookup | Determines whether a route can reach a GP provider or other service endpoint. |
| Supplier / system configuration | Determines whether a DPHC or CORTISONE route can participate. |
| Assurance and onboarding | Determines whether a route is live and permitted. |
What This Does Not Prove
Spine component evidence does not prove that DPHC systems connect to the relevant service, that DPHC organisations have endpoints in the expected route, or that an NHS App feature is available.
Evidence Needed
- Which DPHC systems connect to Spine services today?
- Which Spine services will Programme Cortisone use?
- Is DPHC GP data exposed through a route equivalent to ordinary GP supplier systems?
- Are DPHC organisations represented in ODS and PDS in ways usable by NHS App services?
Related Routes
Current Source Confidence
High for Spine and route-pattern definitions. Not evidenced for live DPHC NHS App feature enablement.