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GP SYSTEMS OF CHOICE

HOW 3RD PARTY INTEGRATION / INTERFACE MECHANISM PRINCIPLES WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE GPSOC CONTRACTS

SERVICE

DESCRIPTION

All GPSoC Suppliers delivering services under the replacement GPSoC Framework Agreement shall provide the following services

from the commencement of that agreement (collectively the "Interface Service"):

one or more technical interface mechanism(s) to enable independent systems (subsidiary modules) to:

o read demographic and clinical information for individual patients, or to extract such information in bulk,for example to support secondary uses;

o enter data into the GPSoC Suppliersprincipal clinical systems, for example to support innovativeclinical tools; and

o support application integration between principal clinical systems and subsidiary modules, for exampleallowing functionality delivered by a subsidiary module to be delivered within the principal systems

environment; and

full documentation, and access to test environments, sufficient to allow suppliers to understand and develop against the

technical interface mechanism without further assistance from the GPSoC Supplier, or an authorised process provided by

suppliers to support the understanding, development and testing of their Interface service.

The references to GPSoC Suppliers in this document includes both the principal clinical system suppliers, who are expected to

provide the bulk of the Interface services, and some subsidiary modules suppliers if they store clinical patient data as part of those

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subsidiary modules. This category of subsidiary module suppliers will provide a subset of the Interface services to support the data

flows to the principal clinical systems (to facilitate the generation of full GP2GP extracts, for example).

Suppliers entering onto the framework with future plans for delivering services, will need to include Interface services to enable call-

off under the framework.

GPSoC Suppliers shall provide the Interface Service to any NHS Body, any GPSoC Supplier or any other third party on request in

accordance with an agreed implementation plan.

Functional requirements for the Interface Service will be incorporated into the GPSoC Framework Agreements.

The performance of the Interface Service for example, around responsiveness, speed of information transfer, accuracy of

information transferwill be critical in ensuring useful and usable interactions with third party modules, and so will be managed in

accordance with the service level regime to be set out in the replacement GPSoC Framework Agreements.

IMPLEMENTATION

TIMING

The scope of the Interface Services shall be split into two phases, which shall operate in parallel from the outset of the replacement

GPSoC Framework Agreements. The overall aims will be met once there is an agreed definition of a common interface to then be

implemented during the term of the GPSoC Framework Agreements.

Phase 1

During Phase 1, GPSoC Suppliers shall each be permitted to define the form of the interfaces required to deliver the Interface

Services, which, from the outset of the replacement GPSoC Framework Agreement will support the published HSCIC-FNT-TO-TAR-

0110.01 GP Systems Interface Requirements V1. Phase 1 shall not be closed until there is a defined output from Phase 2 (currently

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estimated for July 2014) and the resulting common technical interfaces have been implemented to the extent that Phase 1 services are

redundant; otherwise, services provided under Phase 1 will continue.

Phase 2

During Phase 2, GPSoC Suppliers will be required to work together with each other, the Authority and other stakeholders to define a

series of common technical interfaces for the different aspects of integration capability to provide the Interface Services.

Phase 2 may be implemented by each of the GPSoC Suppliers providing Interface Services to common standards, or alternatively

may be provided separately by one or more third parties.

During either or both of Phases 1 and 2, one or more third party suppliers may use the GPSoC Suppliers' individual Interface

Services to create a single Interface service which could be used by third parties to integrate with relevant systems and modules.

ASSURANCE &

ACCREDITATION

In respect of third parties who use the Interface Service, their proposed systems and services shall be subject to assurance and

accreditation. The overall accreditation process, and the objective standards to be applied, will be subject to discussion with

interested parties during the procurement phase, but is expected to cover:

the correct use of integration capability by the third party;

compliance with Authority-defined standards and requirements (such as Information Governance); and

ensuring no detrimental effect on the services provided to practices under the GPSoC Framework Agreement.

GPSoC Suppliers shall not prevent or restrict any person or organisation from using the Interface Service if that person or

organisation satisfies the objective, pre-determined assurance criteria as defined and published as part of the contractual

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arrangements.

COMMERCIAL

ARRANGEMENTS

WITH 3RD PARTIES

GPSoC Suppliers shall not enter into any arrangements, and shall terminate any existing arrangements, which restrict any other party

from competing to provide GP IT Services.

GPSoC Suppliers shall notify the Authority of any proposed arrangements between a GPSoC Supplier and any other party, relating to

use of the Interface Services and shall provide copies of any proposed contractual documentation to the Authority on request.

FINANCIAL

IMPLICATIONS

The Authority shall reimburse GPSoC Suppliers for the set up and development costs and any on-going support and service costs for

the Interface Service on an open book basis. The infrastructure capacity/size required at the outset will be agreed together with

reasonable increments in the capacity/size of infrastructure required to maintain performance of the Interface Services as demand on

this resource increases.

Other than the charges above, the GPSoC Suppliers shall not charge any NHS Body, any other GPSoC Supplier or any other third

party for use of the Interface Service.

Financial remedies shall be included in each GPSoC Framework Agreement (for example, retention of charges or liquidated

damages) in respect of delay by the GPSoC Suppliers in engaging in the process for, or implementing, Phase 2 to the extent that the

GPSoC Suppliers have control over the delay. This could include circumstances where responsibilities have been allocated to the

GPSoC Suppliers to facilitate the Phase 2 work of a third party who may, or may not, have been appointed by the Authority.

The charges payable under the GPSoC Framework Agreements will be subject to service deductions in relation to breaches of the

Interface Service levels.