5 ms·

>NHS.UK frontend contains the code you need to start building user interfaces for NHS websites and services.

SlowRobotAhead 8y ago
Yes. I read that. But as an American who doesn’t fully understand NHS... what is this? Why are people making NHS Websites? That’s the part I don’t get, who is using this code and for what? Isn’t NHS a government run service and they run their own websites?
- Angostura 8y ago
  Hospitals, doctors surgeries, pharmacies, research units etc etc are all part of the NHS. Presumably this will help them build consistent website across the whole NHS. They are a bit of a hudgepodge at the moment - one at random http://www.cityandhackneyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/member-gp-practices.htm http://www.cityandhackneyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/member-gp-pract...
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- amaccuish 8y ago
  It's used for the sites we as patients look out (maybe also for staff as well?). Often you can google symptoms or an illness and a nice, clear NHS site is in the results. It does other things like gives directions to hospitals, and basically explains everything you need to know to use the NHS (like prescription charge exemption certificates etc.) It looks like it's inspired or follows the same guidelines as most of our modern government websites (not all have been updated) See https://www.nhs.uk/ https://www.nhs.uk/
- wuliwong 8y ago
  I'm also an American who doesn't fully understand NHS, so this is wear I will have to leave you. :)
- room271 8y ago
  The NHS is gigantic - it is the umbrella term for publicly funded (universal) healthcare in the UK. There are lots of agencies within this that will have a web presence who can now (if they like) use this UI library for accessible and usable components.
- AngusH 8y ago
  The NHS isn't really a single body (1), it's perhaps easier to think of it like the US army in terms of structure rather than a single organisation. There is a central organisation that sets overall directions and can give orders. But then there are lots of other organisations that are within it or attached in some way or even privately owned groups that operate in association with it. Each group usually creates its own web sites and the central organisation doesn't usually interfere unless something is wrong. The following is AFAIK correct, but it's my personal experience, and I'm not claiming to be an expert on the NHS! As a simplified example, I am covered by the NHS. In my case NHS Scotland, which is separate from the similar system in England or others in Wales and Northern Ireland. I am registered with the local NHS GP surgery which puts me on the system and provides most non-emergency access to care. That GP's surgery is (probably) a private partnership of doctors who own the building and employ themselves and the other staff (nurses, admin, etc). They get paid by the NHS system as a whole to provide me healthcare, but are not direct government employees. I actually picked this GP's practice over several others, each of which have their own websites, because its website showed that it was open to new patients and because they offered open clinic times that matched my requirements. On the other hand, the local hospital is owned (2) by the regional NHS hospital group as a government owned facility which employs the staff there as direct NHS/government employees. Except in emergency, I would go to my GP first, then be referred to the hospital. However this is a separate organisation from the regional hospital group that operates hospitals in the next major city. (1) NHS structure and funding: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/NHS_structure_2017.pdf https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/NHS... (2) Though see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_finance_initiative https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_finance_initiative for a more complicated explanation
  - arctangent 8y ago
    I'm the tech lead for the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) and I oversee the team who are building this frontend library. Your comment is a good explanation of how things work. My employer, NHS Digital, is working on this frontend library as a way to spread good practice throughout the federated health and care system you describe. In short, we spend money doing the research on how best to provide information to users/patients and then we promote the uptake of the technology we develop to best satisfy them - with the overall goal of improving self-care and reducing the need for costly GP appointments and hospital visits.
- gammateam 8y ago
  same here, I just assumed this was a leak for everyone to laugh at how bad it is. and then all the praise is for a use case that makes even less sense? its like "hey so you need an API deliver a consistent user experience? WELL HERE'S SOME FRONTEND CODE INSTEAD" and the crowd goes wild "omg css templates yassss"
  - mynameisvlad 8y ago
    Frontend boilerplate/template code and examples of use would be exactly how you get a consistent user experience.
    - gammateam 8y ago
      I think the title should be "State offers frontend templates and documentation" to make it clear how the public sector is helping an industry and how that's a beneficial use of resources
  - arctangent 8y ago
    I'm the tech lead for the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) and I oversee the team who are building this frontend library. With respect, I think you fail to appreciate the importance of effective communication of health and care information to members of the public. The NHS is under incredible financial strain due to an ageing population and one of the UK government's key strategic goals is to reduce demand on GPs and hospitals through channel shift, i.e. providing much better information online so that citizens can prevent illness and also find better avenues for care (e.g. their pharmacist). This is much more difficult than you might think. For example, a very large number of people seeking health and care advice in the UK are "old" and not used to using the internet. At NHS Digital we have had to carry out extensive research into how best to communicate advice in a way that is suitable for all audiences. NHS Digital has a key role in the UK health and care system and our goal is to share (and perhaps mandate) our technical solutions to these communication problems. Through this we aim to save the NHS money and promote better citizen health and care.
    - jjameswalk 8y ago

Yes. I read that. But as an American who doesn’t fully understand NHS... what is this? Why are people making NHS Websites? That’s the part I don’t get, who is using this code and for what? Isn’t NHS a government run service and they run their own websites?

Angostura 8y ago
Hospitals, doctors surgeries, pharmacies, research units etc etc are all part of the NHS. Presumably this will help them build consistent website across the whole NHS. They are a bit of a hudgepodge at the moment - one at random http://www.cityandhackneyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/member-gp-practices.htm http://www.cityandhackneyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/member-gp-pract...
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
amaccuish 8y ago
It's used for the sites we as patients look out (maybe also for staff as well?). Often you can google symptoms or an illness and a nice, clear NHS site is in the results. It does other things like gives directions to hospitals, and basically explains everything you need to know to use the NHS (like prescription charge exemption certificates etc.) It looks like it's inspired or follows the same guidelines as most of our modern government websites (not all have been updated) See https://www.nhs.uk/ https://www.nhs.uk/
wuliwong 8y ago
I'm also an American who doesn't fully understand NHS, so this is wear I will have to leave you. :)
room271 8y ago
The NHS is gigantic - it is the umbrella term for publicly funded (universal) healthcare in the UK. There are lots of agencies within this that will have a web presence who can now (if they like) use this UI library for accessible and usable components.
AngusH 8y ago
The NHS isn't really a single body (1), it's perhaps easier to think of it like the US army in terms of structure rather than a single organisation. There is a central organisation that sets overall directions and can give orders. But then there are lots of other organisations that are within it or attached in some way or even privately owned groups that operate in association with it. Each group usually creates its own web sites and the central organisation doesn't usually interfere unless something is wrong. The following is AFAIK correct, but it's my personal experience, and I'm not claiming to be an expert on the NHS! As a simplified example, I am covered by the NHS. In my case NHS Scotland, which is separate from the similar system in England or others in Wales and Northern Ireland. I am registered with the local NHS GP surgery which puts me on the system and provides most non-emergency access to care. That GP's surgery is (probably) a private partnership of doctors who own the building and employ themselves and the other staff (nurses, admin, etc). They get paid by the NHS system as a whole to provide me healthcare, but are not direct government employees. I actually picked this GP's practice over several others, each of which have their own websites, because its website showed that it was open to new patients and because they offered open clinic times that matched my requirements. On the other hand, the local hospital is owned (2) by the regional NHS hospital group as a government owned facility which employs the staff there as direct NHS/government employees. Except in emergency, I would go to my GP first, then be referred to the hospital. However this is a separate organisation from the regional hospital group that operates hospitals in the next major city. (1) NHS structure and funding: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/NHS_structure_2017.pdf https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/NHS... (2) Though see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_finance_initiative https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_finance_initiative for a more complicated explanation
- arctangent 8y ago
  I'm the tech lead for the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) and I oversee the team who are building this frontend library. Your comment is a good explanation of how things work. My employer, NHS Digital, is working on this frontend library as a way to spread good practice throughout the federated health and care system you describe. In short, we spend money doing the research on how best to provide information to users/patients and then we promote the uptake of the technology we develop to best satisfy them - with the overall goal of improving self-care and reducing the need for costly GP appointments and hospital visits.
gammateam 8y ago
same here, I just assumed this was a leak for everyone to laugh at how bad it is. and then all the praise is for a use case that makes even less sense? its like "hey so you need an API deliver a consistent user experience? WELL HERE'S SOME FRONTEND CODE INSTEAD" and the crowd goes wild "omg css templates yassss"
- mynameisvlad 8y ago
  Frontend boilerplate/template code and examples of use would be exactly how you get a consistent user experience.
  - gammateam 8y ago
    I think the title should be "State offers frontend templates and documentation" to make it clear how the public sector is helping an industry and how that's a beneficial use of resources
- arctangent 8y ago
  I'm the tech lead for the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) and I oversee the team who are building this frontend library. With respect, I think you fail to appreciate the importance of effective communication of health and care information to members of the public. The NHS is under incredible financial strain due to an ageing population and one of the UK government's key strategic goals is to reduce demand on GPs and hospitals through channel shift, i.e. providing much better information online so that citizens can prevent illness and also find better avenues for care (e.g. their pharmacist). This is much more difficult than you might think. For example, a very large number of people seeking health and care advice in the UK are "old" and not used to using the internet. At NHS Digital we have had to carry out extensive research into how best to communicate advice in a way that is suitable for all audiences. NHS Digital has a key role in the UK health and care system and our goal is to share (and perhaps mandate) our technical solutions to these communication problems. Through this we aim to save the NHS money and promote better citizen health and care.
  - jjameswalk 8y ago