Doc Abode

The Solution

6B partnered with Doc Abode to design and implement a Node.js-based microservice that acts as the intermediary between Doc Abode’s scheduling platform and the Rio EPR. This service was engineered to support both inbound and outbound data flows, ensuring that information could move seamlessly in both directions. On the inbound side, the integration allows Doc Abode to pull appointment details, patient demographics, care plans, and schedule changes directly from Rio, ensuring that scheduling decisions are always based on the most current data. On the outbound side, when clinicians are scheduled, dispatched, or update the status of a visit within Doc Abode, those changes are automatically posted back into Rio, giving clinical and administrative teams full visibility within their existing EPR system.

To make this possible, 6B developed a robust mapping layer that translates between Doc Abode’s data model and Access Rio integration schema, standardising identifiers, status codes, and formats to ensure consistency. Security and compliance were built in from the outset, with secure authentication mechanisms, encrypted communication, audit logging, error handling, and retry logic to safeguard data and meet NHS interoperability and data protection standards. Performance testing was carried out to guarantee that the service could handle high scheduling volumes with low latency. Finally, the solution was validated through extensive staging and user acceptance testing with real-world workflows before being deployed into production, complete with monitoring, logging, and alerts to ensure long-term reliability and scalability.

The Impact

The bi-directional integration between Doc Abode and Rio has delivered several important benefits. First, there has been a noticeable reduction in administrative workload: clinicians and operations staff no longer need to manually update appointments or visit status across systems. Changes in Rio (appointments, cancellations, care plan updates) are now reflected in Doc Abode scheduling automatically, reducing risk of scheduling someone to a task with outdated or invalid status.

Second, scheduling accuracy and response times have improved. With real-time pull of Rio data, Doc Abode dispatch decisions now factor in the latest availability and appointment changes, which increases the reliability of clinician deployment and reduces missed or late visits. This improves patient care and reduces wasted clinician time.

Third, improved consistency and visibility across teams: because updates from Doc Abode (task assignment, visit completion etc.) now flow back into Rio, all staff using Rio have up-to-date information about patient and task status, which helps coordination, communication, and safety.

Finally, the integration has been built to scale, with robust monitoring and error handling, ensuring that as usage grows the system remains reliable. The node-based service has handled increased volumes without significant latency, and the framework put in place positions Doc Abode to add further integrations or data flows (e.g. clinical notes, outcomes) in the future.

Working with 6B has been a highly positive experience for Doc Abode. Their ability to understand both the technical requirements of integration and the operational realities of NHS services has been critical in delivering a solution that is robust, scalable, and aligned to real-world clinical workflows. The collaboration has enabled a seamless bi-directional integration with Access Rio EPR, supporting safer, more efficient coordination of care across teams.

“We used to have to call colleagues in the field to inform them of a new allocation and then they checked our EPR. Now we just create the job and they receive a notification and can go.” – UCR Coordinator

Feedback from operational teams highlights the impact on visibility and coordination. Teams report that having real-time access to task status, clinician’s locations and diaries in a single platform significantly reduces the need to chase updates and improves confidence in decision making across services.

– Dr Taz Aldawoud, CEO, Doc Abode