What's new

Find out what's happening with the service manual.

Latest updates

April 2025

Updates to the service manual in April 2025
Section Update
NHS service standard

Updated NHS service standard 9 – Create a secure service that protects people's privacy to reflect updates to GOV.UK service standard 9

Added a new bullet point about use of resources to service standard 11 to reflect our design principle about protecting the environment, with related links

Made minor changes to NHS service standard points 9, 15 and 16 to help teams consider the risks of online services being misused for domestic abuse

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Latest blog posts

Posts by the service manual team and community.

Screenshot of content page template from the NHS design system. It includes navigation and search in the header and a breadcrumbs component.

Why should we build services using a design system?

Conor Rohan, Assurance Lead, Department of Health and Social Care, explains why we use the NHS.UK and GOV.UK design systems and which one to use.

Close-up of thumb and forefinger of someone viewing an NHS page on mobile. In shades of dark blue and black.

A short(ish) history of the NHS design system, Part 1: 2016 – a website, a brand, and a handful of services

Dean Vipond, previously Lead Designer at NHS Digital, tells the history of the NHS digital design system, in 6 parts.

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