GOV.UK is to roll out its Notify communications platform across local authorities before taking it into the NHS.

A total of 70 service teams from 34 different central government bodies are already using Notify. More than 12 million emails, text messages, and letters have already been sent to citizens via the platform. GOV.UK is now inviting 20 teams in local government to begin using the service.

The government’s intention is that the invited teams can test the service over the next few months to ensure it works. Thereafter it will be made available across the entirety of local government. In the longer term, the plan is to roll out Notify throughout the NHS too.

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“Local government needs for sending notifications are very similar to those of central government,” said Peter Herlihy, lead product manager at the Government Digital Service. “During the invite-only period we’ll learn what’s different for local government in terms of branding and paying to use Notify.”

Any local government service teams interested in using Notify are encouraged to contact GOV.UK.

Notify is a standardised platform for government bodies to send emails, texts, and letters to their service users. Services using the platform get a free allowance of messages, paid for by GDS. They will be charged for anything beyond this. 

GOV.UK has designed the platform to try and make it as easy as possible to add, remove, or swap suppliers of communications services.