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What is Registration Authority (RA)

The Registration Authority (RA) is authorised to verify and register users and provide them with their smartcards. They’re also responsible for assigning & removing a users access permissions on SystmOne whilst performing a range of administrative tasks to maintain good RA records and processes.

Information about Smartcards

Smartcards are one of the ways for healthcare workers to strongly authenticate themselves.  Staff using Smartcards are bound by professional codes of conduct, local regulations, the Data Protection Act and the NHS Code of Confidentiality

A smartcard is a plastic card personalised to the user and is printed with their name, photograph and unique user identity number (UUID).

The card contains an electronic chip and is used along with a PIN, similar to a ‘chip and PIN’ bank card. As with a bank card, your PIN should be kept safe and secure and never be shared with anyone.

All DCHS staff will need and are issued with a Smartcard.

New starters' Smartcards and ID badges are created by the Registration Authority team and are posted to their home address, as recorded on ESR, in time for their employment start date.

When a smartcard is used in conjunction with a passcode, known only to the Smartcard holder, it enables the user to have secure and auditable access to national and local spine enabled health record systems, such as TPP SystmOne, Electronic Staff Record (ESR), Derbyshire Shared Care Records (DSCR) and the NHS e-Referral Service

Security and confidentiality

All staff issued with an NHS smartcard have a duty to keep patient information secure and confidential at all times.  Any access to patient data is auditable and traceable back to the holder of a smartcard.  

For more information on applying for a smartcard please click here

For more information on how to use your smartcard please click here

You can unlock your own smartcard 24/7, 365 days a year

For more information & the link to unlock your smartcard please click here

Please click here for guidance on how to renew a smartcard certificate before it expires

If a smartcard certificate has already expired, a request for a replacement card will need to be made. Please follow the instructions under the section Ordering a replacement smartcard 

Ordering a Smartcard & ID badges

You can order a replacment smartcard and/or ID badge for any of the reasons below

  • Lost or stolen card (you are required to log the incident on DATIX prior to requesting a new card)
  • Damaged or expired
  • Intermittent fault 
  • Change of name 
  • Change of job title

To request a new card or badge, please complete and submit the Smartcard & Staff ID Badge Request Form  (If more convenient, you can also request for a replacement smartcard by logging a call on Halo) 

Once a request has been received by the RA team, a replacement will be issued and posted to you via second class Royal Mail post to your work or home address whichever has been specified on the form

Please note smartcards are posted in a locked state therefore, you will need to unlock your card before first using this. Please follow the on screen instructions on how to Unlock my smartcard

If access to SystmOne is needed whilst waiting for the smartcard to arrive, please email DCHST.SystemSupport@nhs.net to ask for a temporary password (this will only work if the user has logged into TPP SystmOne with their smartcard in the last 30 days)

TPP SystmOne 

All new starters to DCHS, including students, bank staff, regular agency, and other users, albeit if they have already used SystmOne within another Trust, are required to undertake the standardised initial SystmOne induction session before access to SystmOne can be granted. Please complete a request for training form to request SystmOne Induction Training and a member of the SystmOne training team will be in contact.

Once SystmOne training has been completed, and for staff to have access to any smartcard enabled system, a request for access can be made by an RA Sponsor for the unit. The request can be made via the Care Identity Manager (CIM) application or by submitting the access or removal of access requests form which can be accessed via the Teams Sponsors channel by a Sponsor.

Once the access request is received by RA we will ensure it is appropriate to your role and either grant or reject the access request. 

A list of all DCHS RA Sponsors who can request access for you can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

Click here for a list of DCHS RA Sponsors