NHSNet

NHSNet is an intranet service used by the English National Health Service (NHS).

NHSNet is managed jointly by BT and Cable and Wireless and was developed under the aegis of the NHS Information Authority. However the standards of service varied widely throughout the NHS due to different local practices and levels of equipment. NHSNet is now (2006) being replaced by N3. It is sometimes referred to (by a sort of retrospective nomination) as N2.

Connections to NHSnet (and now N3) are strictly controlled by the Connecting for Health Information Governance group (previously by NHS Information Authority), which specifies the security required and data protocols allowed under its Code of Connect agreements. Similarly, it controls access to or from the Internet through managed gateways.

Organisations wishing to provide information or applications to their NHS partners over NHSnet/N3 are faced with a choice of applying for their own Code of Connection, which requires a considerable investment in time (typically 6 months), effort and infrastructure, or partnering with one of the restricted number of organisations (BT, Cable and Wireless and ioko) able to use their own Code of Connect for these purposes.