NHS England Digital Pathways Solution Registry in the Primary Care Setting

Stage Two - Establishment of the DP Solution Registry

Introduction

NHS England is seeking to establish a Registry of Suppliers and solutions that meet the uplifted Baseline Assurance Standards (BAS), Capabilities and Epics for Digital Pathways (DP) Solutions ("DP Solution Registry") in Primary Care settings. The Digital Pathways Standards, Capabilities and Epics have been uplifted to describe what outcomes NHS England need as a minimum, to operate and to ensure solutions operate in a safe and secure way.

For the purpose of this Notice, NHS England is the lead authority (subject to potential future change). The NHS England National Commercial and Procurement Hub (the Hub) is issuing this Market Engagement notice on behalf of NHS England.

The GP Contract mandates the use of Digital Pathways tools by NHS systems. The GPIT Operating Model v.6 mandates the use of the NHS England National Commercial and Procurement Hub for buying these tools.

The link below provides the published NHS England Digital Pathways tools guidance for 2026/27.

Digital pathways tools guidance 2026/27 - NHS England Digital

The DP Solution Registry will not be a procurement vehicle but a list of suppliers who have self-certified against the uplifted national requirements. The purpose is to use the DP Solution Registry as a mechanism to support and inform NHS Buyers so they can develop their strategy to buy. The DP Solution Registry will act as an anchor to inform fully competitive processes out to market in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

The first stage of engagement with the market to launch the DP Solution Registry ("Stage One: Information request") has concluded. This notice relates to the second stage of engagement with the market ("Stage Two: Establishment of the DP Solution Registry") and will remain ever open to allow new applications subject to such notification to the market. However, initial applications to the DP Solution Registry should be submitted by the 1st October 2026 to allow time for the DP Solution Registry to be established and launch with those applications that were successful.

In the first instance, suppliers are invited to register on Atamis via Project reference code - C462178 to access the Application Guide and supporting documents. Interested suppliers should note that a nominated lead from the Hub will be your point of contact supporting you throughout the process. Completion of the contact details form within Atamis triggers this step.

Applications will temporarily pause from the 1st October 2026 to allow the DP Solution Registry to launch. Applications can still be submitted however these will not be reviewed until the DP Solution Registry is launched.

Suppliers should submit applications in good time so that they can be included in the launch and the first cohort of DP Solution Registry suppliers within.

An overview of Digital Pathways Solutions

The GP Contract requires Practices to provide a number of patient online services requiring digital tools for which the GPIT Operating Model mandates the standards, sources and funding arrangements. Where these are not met directly through NHS App functions the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will procure and provide the Practice with the relevant Digital Pathways Tools.

The GPIT Operating Model sets out NHS England's responsibility to provide a safe, secure, resilient and value for money procurement route to support systems.

Digital Pathway Tools such as Online Consultations, Care Navigation and Demand & Capacity Planning can help Practices to effectively monitor, triage and prioritise patient demand and better utilise their resources.

These solutions can support Practices to:

• Assess patient needs from initial online contact.
• Support patient triage and prioritisation.
• Navigate patients to the appropriate point of care using clinical and operational rules.
• Enable patient interactions with their Practice, for example, Fit Note request.
• Collect structured information, for example, via a survey.

The NHS 10-year plan is explicit that:

• Demand in the system is rising due to ageing population and increasing complexity.
• Current models are unsustainable and already failing to meet access expectations (e.g. difficulty getting GP appointments).

The implication being that traditional capacity growth (more appointments, more staff) alone will not keep pace with demand and more effective ways of monitoring, prioritising and navigating demand and effective capacity planning is needed.

Digital Pathways Tools can be delivered via a single solution or through a modular set of solutions. They are required to integrate with electronic patient records and national services.

Digital Pathways (DP) Solution Registry Benefits

The DP Solution Registry will provide NHS Buyers with access to a Registry of DP Solutions listed by Supplier, with an accompanying resource library to better inform their procurement strategies.

Local procurements will be undertaken by the NHS Buyers (ICB, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), General Practice) themselves and in accordance with their own governance and due diligence requirements.

The Hub is mandated to support Primary Care systems with their local procurements and will use the DP Solution Registry as an anchor in their open market tendering for above threshold buys. The GP Contract mandates the use of Digital Pathways Tools by NHS systems. The GPIT Operating Model v.6 mandates the use of the NHS England National Commercial and Procurement Hub for buying these tools.

The DP Solution Registry will be operationalised as a central platform where Suppliers will self-declare against the uplifted NHSE Standards, Capabilities and Epics. It is not a procurement mechanism but a strategic enabler that:

• Lists Solutions that successful Suppliers have self-certified by submitting evidence against the NHSE uplifted Standards, Capabilities and Epics.
• Supports procurement strategies and planning by surfacing Suppliers that meet uplifted Digital Pathways Standards and Capabilities.
• Encourages transparency around safety, data handling, and performance.
• Enables monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Facilitates cross-system learning and reduces duplication across ICBs, PCNs and General Practices.
• Sets conditions of participation for use in subsequent contracts and supplier behavioural expectations.

For reference, the Capabilities are segmented into the below categories: -

• Care Navigation
• Online Patient Consultation
• Online Patient Request
• Online Consultations and Requests Reporting
• Video Consultation
• Communication Management
• Cross Organisation Appointment Booking
• Demand and Capacity Planning

The Capability list has been updated since the initial Stage One - Information Request / Market Engagement and now includes Communication Management and Cross Organisation Appointment Booking. This is to cover the scope and functionality that Digital Pathways solutions offer.

To remind suppliers, the Stage One Information Request was a market engagement exercise to aid the understanding of market capability and ready the market for applications to establish the creation of a Registry of Digital Pathways Solutions offered by Suppliers to the Primary Care Setting.

Suppliers should note that the DP Solution Registry is not for appointments management solutions, however Digital Pathways solutions will be used to triage and offer appointments to patients utilising NHS Notify. NHS Notify allows organisations and services to send NHS App messages, emails, texts and letters to patients and the public more effectively.

For the sake of clarity applications should be received by the 1st October 2026 to allow for the DP Solution Registry launch, all successful applications up to this date will be included in the initial launch which is anticipated in early to mid-October 2026. Applications during and after this date will be reviewed only after the launch of the DP Solution Registry.

The DP Solution Registry is not intended to operate as a framework, Dynamic Market or other statutory procurement vehicle under the Procurement Act 2023, and admission to the DP Solution Registry does not of itself confer any right or entitlement to participate in, or be awarded, future contracts. NHS Buyers will need to satisfy their procurement duties when contracting.

Suppliers are required to be truthful, factual and accurate with their ability to meet the national requirements via the self-certification process. Systems will take forward this knowledge as an anchor to their strategy and procurement process. Suppliers should note that NHS Buyers will undertake full assurance throughout the course of their procurement process and if it is found that a Supplier has misrepresented their application to the DP Solution Registry a remedial process will commence and be concluded to maintain the integrity of the DP Solution Registry.

Suppliers should note that NHSE may periodically uplift Standards, Capabilities and Epics and suppliers will be expected to self-certify against these to remain on the DP Solution Registry.

This market engagement is being conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.