Version: 3.0.0 | Published: 1 Dec 2025 | Updated: 4 days ago
Identity Verification and Authentication Standard for Digital Health and Care Services
Dataset
Summary
Type:
Information standards
Effective From:
16 April 2024
Applies To:
- All health and care organisations implementing digital services and offering patient/service user online access to these services
- Organisations must conform to this standard if and when they implement citizen facing digital health and care services
Impacts On:
Companies or authorities providing identity services on behalf of the above
providers; alignment with this standard will be essential for such organisations
once the national citizen identify platform is established. Systems suppliers
providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their
customers to determine necessary changes.
Conformance Date:
16 April 2025
Topics:
- Access to records
- Authentication
- Demographics
- Information codes of practice
- Information governance
- Patient communication
- Security, Safety and Privacy
Care Settings:
- Community health
- Hospital
- Maternity
- Mental health
- Pharmacy
- Social care
- Urgent and Emergency Care
Alternate Name:
This standard was previously called DCB3051.
Documentation
Associated Media:
Description:
This information standard provides for a consistent approach to identity management across digital health and care services, covering verification and authentication.
This change is being made to ensure continued alignment with Good Practice Guide 45 (GPG45) which was updated in December 2024.
The standard has been uplifted to provide further guidance on authentication sessions. Transactional Archetypes have been replaced with wider examples of digital transactions and the required identity verification and authentication levels.
It describes why and how a person should prove their identity to access digital health and care services. For example: their GP practice, their local hospital, and their social care provider. The change is needed to reflect the Policy and Digital Environment changes since DCB3051’s publication on 29 June 2018.
Origin
Name:
NHSE-SD Data Catalogue