Minimum Systems Specification (MSS)
Version 2.0
Requirements for GMS clinical systems
Date
Version
31st October 2007
Final 1.0
Document History
Sponsor:
Primary Care IM&T Programme
Owner:
MSS Design & Compliance Steering Group
Revision History
Version
Number
Revision date
Reason for new version
Author
Final v1.0
30/10/07
Ian Cox
Draft v0.3
30/10/07
Draft v0.2
25/10/07
Draft v0.1
04/10/07
Following approval by MSS Design &
Compliance Steering Group
Minor changes following MSS Design &
Compliance Steering Group Meeting
Second draft following discussion with WDS
project manager
First draft for internal review
Approvals
Signature
MSS Design &
Compliance Group
Given at Meeting
29/10/07
Tim Tett
Title
Date of
Approval
Version
29/10/07
Final v1.0
Date of
Issue
Version
31/10/07
31/10/07
Final v1.0
Final v1.0
This document has been distributed to:
Name
Title
MSS Design & Compliance Group
GP clinical system suppliers
Adastra
WIGSBI
Gordon McKenzie
Document
Location
Ian Cox
This document requires the following approvals.
Name
Distribution
Tim Tett
Head of ISD
This document is only valid on the day it was printed.
The document can be downloaded from the MSS Web Page, located at the
GMS IM&T Website (www.wales.nhs.uk/gmsimt)
Final v1.0
Contents
1.
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.
Purpose..................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.
Scope ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
1.3.
Future Versions of MSS ............................................................................................................................ 5
2. MSS STRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................................ 6
2.1.
Functional Requirements ‘Modules’ .......................................................................................................... 6
3. THE REQUIREMENTS............................................................................................................................................ 8
4.
TESTING ARRANGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1.
Gaining Compliance to MSS Version 2.0 .................................................................................................. 9
4.2.
QOF/QMAS Testing Arrangements .......................................................................................................... 9
4.3.
2DRx Testing Arrangements ..................................................................................................................... 9
4.4.
‘Audit+’ Testing Arrangements .................................................................................................................. 9
4.5.
NHS CFH GP Systems Module Testing Arrangements ............................................................................ 9
5. COMPLIANCE STATUS........................................................................................................................................ 10
6.
CONTACT DETAILS ............................................................................................................................................ 11
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1. Introduction
This document details the system requirements which GMS clinical systems must meet under the Welsh National
Framework Agreement for GMS Systems and Services. This is a set of mandatory requirements for GMS clinical
systems, known as the Minimum System Specification (MSS) and has been developed to ensure that the IM&T
needs of GP practices are delivered equally across Wales.
The Primary Care IM&T Programme (PCIP), on behalf of GP practices and LHBs, will be responsible for ensuring
that systems meet these requirements through the management and operation of the MSS Compliance Scheme.
They will work closely with the Welsh Primary Care representatives, LHBs, Informing Healthcare and others to
ensure that the requirements are maintained and that the management of the compliance scheme is effective in
introducing changes to GP systems under the National GMS Systems and Services Framework Agreement.
The MSS Design and Compliance Steering Group (MDAC) is the operational face of the MSS Compliance
Scheme and will be responsible for the development and maintenance of MSS and the provision and
management of assurance activities to ensure systems meet the requirements on an ongoing basis.
1.1.
Purpose
The Minimum Systems Specification aims to provide:

common standards to support national systems interconnectivity

availability of a core set of functionality to all GP Practices

a means to ensure systems are “fit for purpose”.
The adoption of MSS compliant GMS systems across Wales will:

ensure equity of functionality across Wales, by setting out minimum standards;

provide a vehicle for specifying systems development required to meet the GMS contract and national
strategic requirements;

ensure increased functionality, security and reliability of GMS systems;

provide a level of functional commonality and interoperability with the national architecture, its systems
and services (such as the Individual Health Record);
1.2.
Scope
The MSS details a subset of the service requirements that GP system suppliers are contracted to provide under
the National Framework Agreement. This subset of services is predominantly concerned with functional
requirements typically met by an IT system or solution. There are a small number of requirements within MSS
that straddle the boundary between services provided by technology and those provided by human resources.
Supplier services not provided wholly by IT systems (i.e. the ‘GMS system’) are not included within MSS.
The first version of MSS was based on the, now disbanded, RFA scheme with the additional requirement for GP
systems in Wales to connect to DAWN2. This new version, version 2, builds on version 1 and adds new
requirements which GMS systems need to meet.
Subsequent versions of MSS will be based on core elements of the ‘GP Systems’ module of the NHS Connecting
for Health (CFH) compliance scheme developed as a replacement for RFA. These versions will refer to those
elements of the NHS CFH scheme applicable to Wales with Welsh specific variations added or de-scoped as
required.
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This is the first version to add Welsh specific requirements – those relating to the provision of prescription
contents being encoded in a 2-dimensional bar code to allow accurate and efficient processing of prescriptions by
pharmacy dispensing systems.
The list below outlines the high level functional scope of the core elements of MSS:
Functional/System Requirements
 Information governance – system security, access rights, audit trails, etc
 Patient record functions - demographics including interfaces to national demographic systems (the future
Welsh Demographic Service); patient clinical records and various functionality to create, maintain and
view the data; add attachments,
 Patient scheduling (appointments)
 Care management – referral & discharge, prescribing, call/recall, problem management, test requests
and results, etc – many of which will involve electronic exchange of information with other organisations
and systems
 Analysis and reporting functions internal and external, e.g. QOF returns
 Interfaces to external systems (e.g. Registration Links, Pathology results, links to the future Individual
Health Record) to facilitate shared care and shared information
Note that MSS contains a minimum set of functional requirements and standards to ensure interoperability with
other systems and good safety and security measures. It is not intended to be or become a full specification for
GMS clinical systems.
1.3.
Future Versions of MSS
The requirements of GP Practices in Wales will change over time as business processes and technology
changes. There are a number of IT related initiatives within Wales that in due course will require changes to
GMS systems to deliver these changes to GP practices. These include sharing information with other parts of the
Welsh NHS (e.g. Out of Hours service, A&E services); the electronic transfer of clinical correspondence, and
many others.
MSS is the vehicle for publishing any new national requirements. This document contains the requirements of a
specific version of MSS (see cover). Any changes to the requirements within MSS will result in a new version of
this document. The timescales by which GMS systems are expected to become compliant with a new version of
MSS are NOT contained in this document – this is handled by other mechanisms within the National GMS
Systems and Services Framework Agreement, and will be published on the Welsh MSS website.
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2. MSS Structure
MSS covers two types of requirement - functional, or system requirements, and non-functional or service
requirements. To gain MSS Compliance a supplier must meet the functional requirements.
The functional requirements must be met by a single IT solution set, i.e. it is not possible to have some functional
requirements met by product A and some by product B if A and B cannot be supplied as a single coherent
solution set. Where a supplier can provide alternative solutions, each solution will be tested against the
functional requirements. The supplier’s services will be tested once against the service requirements, i.e.
functional and service requirements can be tested independently.
2.1.
Functional Requirements ‘Modules’
The MSS requirements comprise a collection of requirement modules with each module covering a logical
domain (e.g. a business domain, a clinical messaging domain). There will be a set of mandatory modules and a
set of optional modules with optional modules likely to become mandatory modules in future versions. Testing
against modules can be undertaken independently except where modules interact. This modular structure
provides greater flexibility for suppliers in terms of development and testing and enables NHS Wales to spread
the load of change should it consider it necessary.
The requirements for GMS systems in Wales are not dissimilar to those of England and the other home countries.
MSS will, where appropriate, utilise modules developed and published by NHS England or other home countries
and will also develop its own modules in order to specify its requirements. Where necessary, variations in the
requirements within a module from outside Wales will be specified as a supplement to the module. This
approach will also extend to the testing of systems under the MSS Compliance Scheme, i.e. a system that
passes testing against a set of requirements published by NHS England will be seen as compliant under the
Welsh scheme (subject to satisfactory statements to that affect being received from the other country).
The following diagram illustrates the structure for a future version of MSS. It shows a number of NHS
Connecting for Health (England) modules expected to be a part of MSS and a number of Welsh specific modules
expected to arise from strategic initiatives. (Note: The diagram does NOT indicate the actual requirements
modules within the current version of MSS.)
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3. The Requirements
The requirements for MSS v2.0 require suppliers to provide a system and services (where included) with the
following credentials:
1. The system has achieved MSS v1.0 compliance.
2. The system has achieved accreditation against QOF/QMAS v11 and any subsequent versions of QOF
that are released before the next version of MSS.
3. The system has demonstrated successful operation of GP/NHAIS Reg Links, GP/NHAIS IOS Links and
Pathology Messaging through a GP practice’s connection to DAWN2
4. The system meets the 2DRx requirements for bar-code encoded prescriptions
5. The system meets the data extraction requirements for GP systems to support the national practicebased data quality software tool (‘Audit +’)
6. The system has achieved NHS CFH compliance against the GP Core Functionality Requirements and
the GP Legacy EDI Requirements components of v1of the GP Systems module.
7. NHS CFH GP Systems v1 addendum for Welsh MSS GP systems.
The full set of detailed requirements and supporting technical documentation for items 3 and 6 above (except the
DAWN2 requirements), can be obtained from:
Existing Systems Programme
NHS Connecting for Health
1 Whitehall
Leeds
LS1 4HR
The technical specification and supporting documentation for item 4, the DAWN2 interface requirements and the
requirements for item 5, can be obtained from the MSS Programme Office (see Contact Details section)
The following sections on Testing Arrangements and Compliance Status detail how suppliers achieve MSS
compliance for this version.
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4. Testing Arrangements
4.1.
Gaining Compliance to MSS Version 2.0
Suppliers who wish to attain compliance to MSS Version 2.0 must have demonstrated achievement of all
requirements listed in section 3 including the successful compliance testing of their systems against the 2DRx
requirements.
4.2.
QOF/QMAS Testing Arrangements
QOF/QMAS requirements are updated approximately twice per year. NHS Connecting for Health continue to test
GP systems against these requirements and award ‘QOF vX Accreditation’ status to systems that meet the
requirement. Testing is carried out in 1-3 month test windows just prior the ‘go live’ date for each version and is
available to any supplier of GP systems to English GP practices.
4.3.
2DRx Testing Arrangements
Testing of systems against the 2DRx requirements will be available from January 1st 2008. Suppliers are
required to book a testing slot by contacting the MSS Programme Office.
Bookings must be made at least one month before suppliers expect the system to be ready for testing.
Once a booking has been made the supplier will be issued with a 2DRx Test Pack which will contain a set of test
data and some test tools to assist with verification of prescription data encoded into the bar codes. The test pack
is to be used for a supplier’s own internal system test. Suppliers will need to provide their own 2-D bar code
scanner for their internal testing.
On completion of the supplier’ own testing, the test results (printed prescriptions containing the 2-D bar code) are
to be sent to the MSS Project Office who will review the results. If the results are ok the date for the formal
witness date will be confirmed.
The witness test will, unless otherwise arranged, take place at the supplier’s offices. A new set of test data will be
used for the formal witness test. The witness testers will provide their own bar code scanner. It is expected that
testing will take no longer than one working day.
Suppliers are required to pay for testing. Details of the financial arrangements associated with 2DRx testing will
be provided separately.
4.4.
‘Audit+’ Testing Arrangements
The arrangements for assuring systems meet the requirements to support the Audit+ clinical audit toolset are
being finalised and will be issued under separate cover.
4.5.
NHS CFH GP Systems Module Testing Arrangements
Testing of systems against these requirements will be undertaken by NHS CFH. Suppliers whose GP system is
covered by a GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) contract will have their system tested against these requirements
as part of their GPSoC commitments. Suppliers with systems not covered by a GPSoC contract are required to
contact the MSS Project Office to arrange testing.
There are no additional testing requirements relating to the addendum document (item 7 in the Requirements list
above).
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5. Compliance Status
Suppliers and Systems meeting the requirements of MSS v2.0 will be awarded compliance against MSS v2.0.
Details of each supplier and system with MSS compliance will be published on the MSS website
(www.wales.nhs.uk/gmsimt - select ‘WMSS’ link)
Suppliers are required to ensure that such systems and services continue to meet these requirements whilst
supplied under the National Framework Agreement and until such time as the system and services are upgraded
to a later version of MSS
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6. Contact Details
Address:
MSS Programme Office
NHS Wales Business Services Centre
IM&T Office
Mamhilad House
Mamhilad Park Estate
Pontypool
NP4 0YP
E-mail: [email protected]
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