27.08.14
HSCIC completes NHS Spine infrastructure transition
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has replaced the infrastructure behind the critical NHS Spine platform.
The nationwide infrastructure – upgraded between 22 and 25 August – connects clinicians, patients and national applications, as well as storing patient information.
Prior to the transition, the Spine 2 team held a number of rehearsals to prepare for the transition from Spine to Spine 2 Core services. The rehearsals included technical cutover, service management, service notifications, assurance, testing and monitoring activities.
Following the transition period, HSCIC said: “All of the Spine core services and messaging transitioned across to the new infrastructure in phases, to enable the majority of connected services to continue working throughout the weekend, and to minimise disruption to the NHS and patients.
“The system is being closely monitored throughout today (27 August), its first day of full operations, to ensure that it is performing as expected. A further update on the transition will be issued next week.”
In the last two years, the NHS has been rebuilding the Spine, developed as part of the troubled NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT), to use open-source software.
This was because the technology, hardware and contractual arrangements for the Spine were originally put in place in 2002/3 and it was now time to review and update the service in line with “latest policy and new technology”.
Andrew Meyer, programme head for Spine 2 at the HSCIC, said a main priority was minimising any impact on the service because it is fundamental to the NHS and how it operates.
“We are very aware we have to make the transition as painless as possible for the NHS and we have worked really hard to do that.”
HSCIC has stated that if local NHS organisations experience any service difficulties, they should use their existing support route to report the problem. The new Spine infrastructure will now undergo a 45-day period of intensive monitoring to ensure that it is performing as expected.
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