NHS service standard - 11. Choose the right tools and technology
Choose tools and technology that let you build a good service in an efficient, cost effective way.
Build a sustainable service which allows you to change direction in future.
Why it's important
When you make a decision about technology, you're making a significant investment. The choices you make will have a huge impact on your ability to create, iterate and operate the service in a flexible, sustainable way.
What you should do
When considering technical architecture, choice of programming languages, development toolchain and other technology choices, your team should be able to show that you:
- use appropriate tools and technologies to create and operate a good service in a cost effective way - for example, by automating things where possible
- use HTML5 by default
- have made good decisions about what technology to build and what to buy
- understand tech decisions that have been made outside your team and challenge these decisions where it will improve the service
- understand total cost of ownership of the technology and have kept the ability to make different choices in future - for example, reducing the chances of getting locked into contracts for specific tools and suppliers by using open standards
- use standard NHS technology components where possible, for example the NHS login for identity assurance
- have an effective approach to managing any legacy technology the service integrates with or depends on
Guidance
GOV.UK resources
- Building a resilient frontend using progressive enhancement
- Choosing technology: an introduction
- Technology Code of Practice
- Working with open standards
Read more about this
- Code of conduct for data-driven health and care technology (Department of Health and Social Care)
- Enabling infrastructure (NHS Digital - beta)
- Health Developer Network: information and tools to help developers create software for health and social care (NHS Digital)
- Identity verification and authentication standard for digital health and care services, DCB3051 (NHS Digital)
Other help
- Talk to us on the service manual Slack channel or email the standards team at service-manual@nhs.net.
Get in touch
If you’ve got a question about the NHS digital service manual or want to feedback, get in touch.
Updated: December 2019