NHSmail is used by many organisations as the authentication mechanism to log into Concentric, and this release sees Concentric being updated to the new version of NHSmail. The user flow doesn’t change significantly from a clinician’s perspective, but this new version gives organisations more control over authentication requirements in different settings. Read on if you’ve been having 2FA issues…
Over the past year, NHS England has introduced 2-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) by default for NHSmail login to reduce the risk of personal data breaches. This has resulted in login challenges - to Concentric and other clinical applications - for many users who lack easy access to their personal mobile devices while working clinically, and has led to frustration at the additional login time.
In response to these frustrations, and acknowledging that when connected to certain secure networks the security benefits of requiring 2FA may be outweighed by practical considerations, NHSmail has released an updated version which gives organisations control over when 2FA is required to login to clinical applications via NHSmail. Concentric moves over to using this new version for NHSmail login with release 84.
Technical details of how this works and the configuration requirements, written for NHS Trust IT teams, are shared in NHSmail’s Multi-Factor Authentication Conditional Access Service Overview. Our partner NHS Trusts have been informed of this change and the updated options regarding 2FA. Thanks to NHS England’s NHSmail team for supporting our transition to the new version.