GP IT Futures systems and services

The GP IT Futures framework was the first framework agreement to be released under the Digital Care Services Catalogue and it is used to control or support the annual GMS general practice systems allocation.  

The framework agreement established a national GPIT framework between NHS Digital and the supplier which provided IT services to GPs under a ICB bridging agreement.  This allowed suppliers and buyers from ICBs and CSUs to work with us to improve GP IT.  

The objectives of the GP IT Futures programme were to: 

• provide clinically safe and useful digital services and data services for patients and general practice, ensuring minimal disruption to care for citizens as new tech standards or suppliers are introduced
• move to open, modern, cloud native architectures, with consistent technical and data standards
• reform the commercial landscape of GP and primary care IT to provide an open, dynamic and competitive market
• put NHS and patient users at the centre of the design, underpinned by user research and with regular iterations

These were supported by four minimum strategic objectives for the programme to:

• achieve real-time and secure access to data for patients and NHS users
• allow interoperability between systems, enabling seamless, digitised workflows in and between care settings, in real time, underpinned by common standards and supporting new models of care and primary care networks
• enable relevant, resilient and plural ecosystem of GP and primary care IT systems, which evolve with advances in technology and the NHS
• allow data to be easily and consistently captured to enable comparison of activity and clinical outcomes

Digital Services for Integrated Care now builds on the work of the GP IT Futures programme, aiming to give the people that use digital clinical systems a wider range of assured products and services.  

This service is deprecated.

Continuity contracts have been put in place to ensure that you continue to have access to your purchased solutions and services between 1 April 2023 and the go live date of the replacement, which is scheduled for early 2024.

Suppliers

We want to work with any ambitious and innovative technology companies who want to work with the NHS and who’s systems meet the standards and capabilities set out in the new framework. 

The online Digital Buying Catalogue gives you a shop window for you to present your new technology tools and services to GPs, ICBs, and all buyers in primary care.

We want you to help us create brilliant, accessible and easy to use technology services and tools for our GPs.

Help us deliver a truly connected NHS, one in which GP practices across England can easily share the information required to deliver better care for patients.

1. They continue to have central support for the provision of core clinical IT systems. The systems and services bought will be interoperable, meaning they’ll be able to ‘talk’ to each other across the NHS. That means information can be shared safely and securely and work more effectively across care settings, regardless of which systems are chosen.
2. Access to a greater selection of modern digital tools and capabilities such as e-consultation tools or social prescribing that help them to be more effective and to meet the needs of patients.
3. GP systems will further develop interoperability with the NHS App and an increasing range of linked tools
4. An online NHS Digital Buying Catalogue to find primary care technology systems and services, making it easier to find, easier to understand, easier to choose and easier to buy.
5. Confidence that all services on the framework have met stringent data and technology standards for safety, security and interoperability.

From Monday 14 December 2020, participating system providers from this assured list will be available to be selected by Primary Care Networks from our Digital Care Services Framework (GPIT Futures). Costs for selected services are covered via a central call off agreement with each participating supplier.

Guide to migrating your clinical system

The Clinical System Migration Guide helps practices, GP IT delivery partners and ICBs plan, prepare and complete migrations from one clinical system to another. While approaches to migration may differ by region, this guide provides common strategies to help reduce the impact of system migrations on practice staff and minimise the amount of manual data re-entry. The guide was co-created by former organisations NHS Digital and NHSx (now part of NHS England), and in consultation with GP practices, ICBs and GP IT delivery partners.

GP Connect

GP Connect allows GP practices and authorised clinical staff to share and view GP practice clinical information and data between IT systems, quickly and efficiently.

IM1 Pairing integration

Pairing integration is the process that allows any supplier to integrate their system with any principal clinical system through an interface mechanism.

NHS Digital Buying Catalogue

The Buying Catalogue provides a shop window to view and procure clinical information technology systems from the Digital Care Services frameworks.