Welcome to the NHS central repository of RPA processes that have been developed by and/or for the England National Health Service (NHS). These RPA processors are available to be used by healthcare organisations to accelerate their adoption of RPA and remove burden and duplication using technology.
Please Note: these shared processors come with no warranty or support as standard, and it is the responsibility of the person or organisation downloading these processes to assure that they are fit for purpose and security controls are in place and adhered to in line with your organisations governance and assurance procedures.
- A RPA BOT and vendor license for the RPA process required: The RPA processors with this directory require Vendor RPA Software and supporting application license/user agreement to be in place. The RPA Vendors software with can be used by the process such as but not limited to:
- Automation Anywhere (https://www.automationanywhere.com/)
- Blue Prism (https://www.blueprism.com)
- UI Path (https://www.uipath.com/)
Please Note: RPA Process within this repository are only able to run on the vendor software identified within each process repository process folder and not with across each vendor.
The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Open-Source Programme is about making best practice IT solutions in health and care accessible to all who purchase subscriptions to the underlying RPA software products. By making the scripts, bots, and process flow freely available and downloadable from platforms such as GitHub, the health and care system can develop, improve or tailor open-source software to suit their organisational local needs.
It is expressly acknowledged that several of the general RPA software platforms to which this Programme relates are not provided as Open-Source software, and that the content of this policy refers only to the scripts, bots, automations and process flows built using such platforms. It is understood and recognised that such underlying RPA software platforms reflect proprietary commercial software/SaaS subject to paid subscriptions for access or license from the respective software vendors ("OEMs"). These platforms enable customers to build automated processes (‘automations’ or ‘bots’) through the ‘scripting’ of commands, and it is these automations that are the subject of the present document, notwithstanding anything to the contrary. All references to ‘code’ herein shall be deemed references to RPA scripts/automations/bots built by customers of the RPA software providers, or such customers’ third-party service providers, and not to the underlying code used to build the OEMs’ applicable platforms. The terms of this paragraph will take precedence over anything to the contrary herein.
This flexibility makes open-source automations particularly suitable for use within the healthcare industry where, through active collaboration between IT suppliers and user/clinician communities, solutions can be honed to maximise benefits to the delivery of health and social care. Open source is based on four freedoms:
- Freedom to use
- Freedom to redistribute copies
- Freedom to understand how it works and adapt it
- Freedom to make and share improvements with anyone
The benefits of Open-Source RPA Code and Processes are: Ownership: Due to the vast configurability of open sourcing code and processes, Trusts have more control over the system integrations with the RPA services provided. These modifications allow the technology to be completely bespoke to the Trusts’ needs.
Accessibility: Open-source automations can be used and changed by anyone who has subscribed to the OEM’s product. This accessibility allows for constant developments and improvements made to the automations.
Freedom: The supplier and maintenance needed to maintain the automations are selected entirely by the Trust, with no lock-in or long-term commitments should situations change.
Cost-effective: The licensing of open-source automations is significantly reduced compared to its proprietary counterpart.
Empowering: From clinicians to nurses, healthcare professionals have more input on automations improvements and uses. This is bridging the gap between staff and technology, which will be critical for matters like the Paperless 2020 initiative.
Best Practice: Much like in the practice of medicine, open-source runs on the philosophy of universally shared knowledge. New ideas and solutions are combined and promoted for the community’s benefit.
For information on how to contribute RPA Process Code and how to access and comment on existing code please go to the "How to Contribute" folder.