NHS Spine Directory Service API Integration

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Whether you're developing a new digital health product or extending an existing solution with NHS Spine Directory Service API integration, 6B brings the technical expertise, healthcare insight, and experience needed to accelerate delivery.

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6B supports digital health innovators, NHS Trusts, commissioning bodies, and integration vendors through every step of SDS API integration. We deliver secure, standards-compliant connections that use the NHS API Gateway, ensuring your application can look up system details, routing addresses, and endpoint metadata with confidence.

Understanding the Spine Directory Service FHIR API

The SDS FHIR API provides access to registered NHS systems by querying the NHS Spine’s directory of accredited systems. Each system registered in an organisation has a unique ASID on NHS Spine, and many have message-handling server records with endpoint details. Your application can retrieve metadata to route messages or build dynamic addressing flows – all via FHIR R4-compatible resources like Endpoint and Organization.

The API uses secure, application-restricted access with OAuth 2.0 client credentials or API key authentication. It operates via RESTful endpoints over the NHS API platform and enforces strict audit and error handling rules. The service is available on the public internet and via HSCN, with separate sandbox, integration, UAT, and production environments provided.

How 6B Delivers SDS API Integration

At 6B, we start with discovery workshops to clarify your system integration pathways, whether it’s GP Connect, MESH messaging, appointment routing, or middleware address resolution. We determine your required FHIR queries – such as retrieving ASIDs, finding practice endpoints, or looking up message server routes.

We then develop SDS FHIR client logic in your application, configure OAuth 2.0 authentication, and implement retries and error handling following NHS standards. We manage onboarding with the API Sandbox, integration, and UAT environments and ensure your development aligns with service-level expectations.

Testing is conducted across environments, validating live lookups, endpoint metadata, and error recovery. We support your team through API integration testing and liaise with NHS Digital to complete assurance as required for your primary service.

Once validated, we support the production rollout and ongoing support. We monitor API version updates and security releases and help you maintain issue resolution and compliance with evolving NHS policies.

Benefits of SDS API Integration

By integrating with SDS FHIR, your solution gains accurate, real-time information about system identifiers and endpoints – enabling precise routing of clinical messages and reducing the cost of managing static address lists.

This improves reliability for critical services like GP Connect, MESH messaging, and appointment workflows, and ensures messages reach the intended systems, reducing delivery errors.

For solution providers, SDS integration simplifies multi-organisation deployment. You build once, and your solution can resolve addresses for NHS systems nationwide – no manual configuration needed.

Why choose 6B for Spine Directory Service API Integration?

We have proven experience integrating SDS FHIR lookup flows as part of GP Connect, eRS messaging, and GP systems integration projects.

Our team builds robust, standards-based solutions with full handling for ASID lookups, endpoint metadata, routing reliability, security, and paging.

We guide you through onboarding, testing, and production rollout on the NHS API platform — ensuring your solution is compliant with authentication, error handling, and service-level policies.

Our modular architecture allows dynamic endpoint resolution across services, cutting operational overhead and enabling scalable NHS-wide deployment.

6B’s commitment extends beyond go-live: we support ongoing monitoring, service updates, compliance patches, and onboarding to other NHS APIs that depend on SDS metadata.

NHS Spine Directory Service Integration FAQs

What is an Accredited System Identifier (ASID) in the NHS Spine Directory Service?

An ASID is a unique identifier assigned to each accredited system registered on the NHS Spine. During SDS integration, ASIDs allow your application to correctly identify and route data to the intended NHS system, ensuring secure and accurate communication.

How does NHS Spine Directory Service integration improve interoperability across NHS systems?

By enabling dynamic lookup of endpoints and ASIDs, SDS integration removes the need for static address management. This allows different NHS systems — such as GP Connect, MESH, and referral services — to connect reliably and securely, even when organisations update or change systems.

Can NHS Spine Directory Service integration support nationwide deployment of digital health solutions?

Yes — SDS integration allows a single application build to dynamically resolve endpoints across NHS organisations nationally. This eliminates the need for organisation-specific configurations, reducing rollout time and enabling rapid scaling across multiple NHS Trusts or regions.

What authentication methods are required for NHS Spine Directory Service API integration?

The SDS FHIR API uses secure, application-restricted access through OAuth 2.0 client credentials or API keys. These ensure that only approved systems can request directory data, and that every lookup is fully auditable under NHS information governance standards.

How does SDS integration support services like GP Connect and MESH messaging?

SDS integration underpins services like GP Connect and MESH messaging by providing the endpoint and routing details needed to send messages securely. Without SDS lookups, these services would rely on static configurations, increasing the risk of failed message delivery.

What environments are available for NHS Spine Directory Service API testing?

Organisations integrating with SDS can use sandbox, integration, UAT (User Acceptance Testing), and production environments. This staged approach ensures your solution is tested thoroughly before live deployment, reducing risks of errors in production.

How does NHS Spine Directory Service integration reduce operational overhead for IT teams?

By providing real-time endpoint resolution, SDS integration removes the need for manual updates to address books or routing tables. This lowers administrative workload, prevents errors, and ensures clinical messages always reach the right destination.

What ongoing maintenance is needed after NHS Spine Directory Service integration goes live?

Once live, organisations must monitor API version updates, apply security patches, and test against evolving FHIR profiles. Regular audits of access credentials and error handling configurations are also required to remain compliant with NHS Digital policies.