The NHS login service will require users to submit a short video of themselves as part of the initial registration, the programme director has indicated.
Adam Lewis has pointed to requirement in a blogpost on the development of the service, which was recently launched as a private beta and is scheduled to be available to the public in 2019.
NHS login is being developed as a way for people in England to prove who they are once then use a single login for digital health and care services through the relevant apps and websites.
Lewis says people will also have to submit a picture of a photo identity document, such as a driving licence, along with their name, postcode and data of birth.
He adds, however: “The video is key, as it enables us to confirm it really is the person at the end of the internet connection and not someone pretending to be them.”
After the information has been checked, people will be able to use the login to sign in to the relevant services.
Lewis says this will be a step in helping the NHS to use digital tools more effectively to communicate with patients, and that there have already been over 80 expressions of interest from service providers wanting to use NHS login.
Verify possibility
In addition, NHS Digital is also looking for a way to people to use a GOV.UK Verify account to access NHS websites and apps if desired.
This provides some hope that there could be a long term life for Verify, following the recent announcement by the Cabinet Office that the identity service providers will become responsible for increasing the take-up of the authentication service. This has prompted speculation that it may be difficult for it to establish its place in a broader market.
The development of NHS login has been seen by some observers as one of the factors that has undermined the prospects of Verify.
Image from NHS Digital, Open Government Licence v3.0