About this service
What this service does
The directory is a source of recognised standards used by technologies in health and adult social care to exchange data in England.
It is a signposting service only. It doesn’t include the full documentation for each standard. This can be found on the standard owner’s website.
This service is currently in development and is being tested and improved based on feedback. To report a problem or make a suggestion, email england.interop.standards@nhs.net.
Find out more about standards.
Who this service is for
This service is for anyone building or buying digital technologies for the NHS or local authority-funded adult social care services in England.
This includes IT suppliers, healthcare providers and technology buyers such as procurement teams and framework operators.
What standards are included
The directory lists all standards that are mandated at a national level as well as some standards that are not mandatory but are widely in use in England. These include:
- all approved national information standards. These are assured by the Data Alliance Partnership Board and issued with an Information Standard Notice, which means they are mandatory.
- APIs published in NHS Digital's API Catalogue
- record standards published by the Professional Record Standards Body
It also includes draft APIs and draft standards that are in the process of being assured at the national level.
More standards are likely to be added to the directory in the future. You can find data collections and extractions on NHS Digital’s website.
Who manages this service
This service is managed by NHS England and Improvement working closely with organisations involved in standards development. You can contact the standards directory team by emailing england.interop.standards@nhs.net.