Health and Social Care Network

The Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) is a standards-based network that replaced the N3 network in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. It went live in April 2017. Transition to the new network was completed by November 2020.[1]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 NHSnet
* 1.2 N3
* 1.2.1 Technical details
* 1.2.2 Progress
* 2 Transition
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## History

### NHSnet

NHSnet was a private wide area network service used by the NHS England.[2] It started operation in around 1995[3]

NHSnet was managed jointly by BT and Cable & 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 was succeeded by N3 in 2006.[4] It is sometimes referred to (by a sort of retrospective nomination) as "N2".

Connections to NHSnet were strictly controlled by the NHS Information Authority, which specified the security required and data protocols allowed under its 'Code of Connect' agreements . Similarly, it controlled access to or from the Internet, including email, through managed gateways.

Organisations wishing to provide information or applications to their NHS partners over NHSnet had a choice of applying for their own Code of Connection, which required 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 .

NHSnet admin passwords were exposed, during the attack of Lulzsec in June 2011.[5]

### N3

File:200px
Type| Data and voice
Location| UK
Protocols| IP
Operator| BT
Established| 2003
Current status| Operational
Commercial?| No
Funding| NHS
Website| digital.nhs.uk/services/health-and-social-care-network

N3 was a national broadband network for the English National Health Service (NHS), connecting all NHS locations and 1.3 million employees across England. As of 2018[update] it was being phased out. In 2004, BT was awarded the contract to deliver and manage the IT project on behalf of the NHS.[6] According to an ICO Decision Notice in relation to a freedom of information enquiry, the seven-year contract document ran to around 1000 pages and had a value in excess of £530m.[7]

N3 was preceded by NHSnet, becoming N3 in 2006.[8]

N3 provided the foundations to deliver other components of the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) such as Choose and Book, the NHS Care Records Service, Electronic Prescriptions and the NHS Picture Archiving and Communications System.[9]

#### Technical details

#### Progress

In March 2007, N3's Voice Services were launched. These services offer free on-net calls, and potential to reduce fixed-to-mobile costs.[10]

The N3 network enables the user to access NHS Wide Web (nww) prefixed sites, as well as www.[11]

## Transition

HSCN, delivered by multiple suppliers adhering to an agreed set of standards, is intended to progressively replace the N3 national healthcare network.[12][13] The N3 data and voice networking contracts expired in March 2017.[14] NHS Digital looked to replace a long-term single supplier contract with a marketplace of network options.[15] The project for a new network was initially known as the Public Services Network for Health.[16] In January 2017, the managed services provider Redcentric was appointed for a three-year period as the peering exchange provider.[17] NHS Digital have also contracted with BT for the provision of transition network arrangements for the two to three years from April 2017.[18] In November 2020 NHS Digital announced the completion of the HSCN migration and legacy network termination, with liabilities for the legacy N3 network terminated at the end of October 2020.[19]

## References

1. ↑ "NHS saves around £75m a year thanks to historic public sector data network migration". digital.nhs.uk. https://digital.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/nhs-saves-around-gbp75m-a-year-thanks-to-historic-public-sector-data-network-migration.
2. ↑ "Background to N3 - The National Network". NHS Connecting for Health. http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/n3/background.
3. ↑ Keen, J.; Wyatt, J. (2000). "Total charges for use of NHSnet between 1995-6 and 1999-2000". BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) (BMJ) 321 (7265): 875–878. doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7265.875. PMID 11021869.
4. ↑ "NHSnet: the Closure Countdown". http://www.n3.nhs.uk/nhsnetclosure.
5. ↑ "Hackers warn NHS over security". BBC. 9 June 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13712377.
6. ↑ "DoH extends BT N3 deal". The Guardian. 20 December 2010. https://www.theguardian.com/government-computing-network/2010/dec/20/doh-extends-n3-deal-with-bt-20dec10.
7. ↑ Information Commissioner's Office, Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 50) Decision Notice FS50088736, paragraph 54, published on 29 January 2009, accessed on 13 January 2025
8. ↑ "NhsNet Closure". http://www.n3.nhs.uk/nhsnetclosure.
9. ↑ "NHS Connecting for Health - Background to N3". http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/n3/background.
10. ↑ "N3 Voice Services". http://n3.nhs.uk/N3CloudServices/N3Unified/VoiceServices/default.cfm.
11. ↑ "Namespace policy". https://digital.nhs.uk/services/networking-addressing/namespace-policy.
12. ↑ Hall, Mark (9 February 2016). "Communicating HSCN: Why the government must act now". government computing. http://healthcare.governmentcomputing.com/features/communicating-hscn-why-the-government-must-act-now-4805794.
13. ↑ "HSCN Transition". https://asckey.co.uk/n3-hosting/hscn-network-hosting/.
14. ↑ Scroxton, Alex (14 September 2016). "NHS trusts and suppliers not ready for end of N3 network". Computer Weekly. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/450304229/NHS-trusts-and-suppliers-not-ready-for-end-of-N3-network.
15. ↑ Hill, Rebecca (30 January 2017). "Redcentric awarded three-year Health and Social Care Network contract". www.publictechnology.net. https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/news/redcentric-awarded-three-year-health-and-social-care-network-contract.
16. ↑ "Health and Social Care Network briefing with HSCIC". www.techuk.org. https://www.techuk.org/events/briefing/item/905-public-services-network-for-health-psnh.
17. ↑ Scroxton, Alex (27 January 2017). "NHS Digital picks peering exchange provider for HSCN". Computer Weekly. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/450411823/NHS-Digital-picks-peering-exchange-provider-for-HSCN.
18. ↑ "HSCN Transition". asckey.co.uk. https://asckey.co.uk/n3-hosting/hscn-network-hosting/.
19. ↑ "NHS saves around £75m a year thanks to historic public sector data network migration". digital.nhs.uk. https://digital.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/nhs-saves-around-gbp75m-a-year-thanks-to-historic-public-sector-data-network-migration.

## External links

* Official website
* N3 website
* N3 Scotland

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