Integration Engineer

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is proud to care for the communities of West Essex, delivering safe, compassionate, and high-quality services. We are part of the Neighbourhood Wave—a national programme that’s changing how care is delivered by focusing on prevention, early support, and more joined-up services across health, social care, and the voluntary sector.

This means we’re working more closely with local partners to bring care closer to home and support people to live healthier, more independent lives.

We’re a supportive and inclusive organisation that values its people. We offer development opportunities, flexible working, and a strong focus on wellbeing. As a Disability Confident and equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.

Join us and help shape the future of care in West Essex.

Job overview

The postholder will:

The Integration Engineer is a senior technical role within the Trust’s Digital Services function, responsible for the hands-on design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of clinical and corporate digital solutions. The post holder will work across integration, interoperability, automation, and application development to deliver safe, high-quality, standards-compliant solutions that support patient care, operational efficiency, and workforce productivity.

Working under the direction of the Solutions Design and Development Manager and in close collaboration with the wider Digital Services team, the post holder will contribute to the delivery of the Trust’s Digital and Informatics Strategy. The role demands strong technical proficiency in healthcare interoperability standards (HL7, FHIR, APIs), integration engine technologies (e.g. Rhapsody), SQL and database development, digital automation (RPA and workflow tools), and an emerging awareness of AI and its application within an NHS setting.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

• Design, develop, test and deploy HL7 and API-based integrations using the Trust’s integration engine (Rhapsody TIE), ensuring robust, maintainable, and standards-compliant interfaces.
• Develop and maintain SQL queries, stored procedures, database views, and data extracts to support clinical and operational reporting, system integrations, and data migration activities.
• Build and support digital automation solutions using RPA platforms (e.g. Evolve, Power Automate) and low-code tools, streamlining clinical and administrative workflows.
• Develop and integrate APIs and web services to enable secure, efficient data exchange between Trust systems and external partner organisations.
• Contribute to the Trust’s emerging AI capability by supporting the evaluation, prototyping, and safe deployment of AI-enabled tools under appropriate governance frameworks.
• Produce and maintain comprehensive technical documentation including solution design documents, interface specifications, data-flow diagrams, and operational runbooks.
• Provide expert technical input to project delivery, including requirements analysis, design review, test strategy, and go-live readiness activities.
• Ensure all development work adheres to clinical safety, information governance, cybersecurity, and change management standards.
• Provide second and third-line support for live integrations, automations, and in-house applications, diagnosing and resolving issues within agreed SLAs.
• Support continuous improvement by researching emerging technologies, sharing knowledge across the team, and contributing to the development of standards and best practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Integration and Interoperability

• Design, build, test, and deploy HL7 v2 interfaces and message routes on the Trust’s integration engine (Rhapsody TIE), including message parsing, transformation, routing, filtering, acknowledgement handling, and error management.
• Develop and maintain FHIR, RESTful API, SOAP, and web-service integrations between Trust systems, partner organisations, and national NHS services.
• Support the configuration and maintenance of Cerner Millennium (Alex Health) Foreign System Interfaces (FSIs) and associated inbound/outbound data flows.
• Implement robust testing of all interfaces including unit testing, integration testing, regression testing, and end-to-end message validation across test and staging environments.
• Monitor interface performance, throughput, and error rates; proactively identify and resolve issues to maintain high availability of critical clinical data flows.
• Maintain comprehensive and current interface documentation including specifications, message schemas, mapping tables, endpoint configurations, and operational runbooks.
• Collaborate with application suppliers, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and system-owner teams to diagnose and resolve integration incidents within agreed SLAs.
• Support adoption of modern interoperability standards and patterns such as RESTful APIs, SMART-on-FHIR, and event-driven messaging where clinically and operationally appropriate.

SQL and Database Development

• Write, optimise, and maintain complex SQL queries, stored procedures, views, and functions to support integration, reporting, and data-extraction requirements.
• Design and manage intermediary database structures used for system integration (e.g. staging tables, ODBC links, VLink connectors) ensuring data integrity and security.
• Support data migration, cleansing, and transformation activities as part of system implementation and upgrade projects.
• Ensure all database development follows Trust information governance, security, and backup/recovery standards.

Digital Automation and RPA

• Design, develop, test, and deploy RPA workflows using platforms such as Evolve, UiPath, Blue Prism, or Microsoft Power Automate to automate clinical and administrative processes.
• Build digital forms, applications, and workflow solutions using low-code/no-code platforms (e.g. Power Apps, Power Automate) to improve operational efficiency.
• Work with clinical and non-clinical stakeholders to identify automation opportunities, document requirements, and design solutions that reduce manual effort and improve quality.
• Ensure all automation solutions comply with information governance, data protection, cybersecurity, and NHS governance standards.
• Provide ongoing support and maintenance for deployed automations, monitoring performance and resolving issues promptly.

API Development and System Integration

• Design, develop, and maintain RESTful and SOAP-based APIs and web services to enable secure data exchange between Trust systems and external partners.
• Implement authentication, authorisation, and encryption mechanisms for all API and integration endpoints in line with NHS cybersecurity standards.
• Develop integration solutions using JSON, XML, and other data interchange formats, ensuring data quality and schema compliance.
• Support the Trust’s adoption of national interoperability initiatives including GP Connect, Shared Care Records, and pathology/radiology data-exchange standards.

AI Awareness and Emerging Technologies

• Support the evaluation and prototyping of AI-enabled tools and technologies within appropriate governance and clinical safety frameworks.
• Maintain awareness of NHS England AI guidance, national AI assurance processes, and emerging best practice for AI deployment in healthcare settings.
• Contribute to discovery and feasibility assessments for AI and machine-learning use cases, working closely with the Solutions Design and Development Manager and clinical stakeholders.
• Research and recommend emerging technologies, tools, and approaches that could enhance the Trust’s digital automation and integration capabilities.

General Development Responsibilities

• Follow the full software development lifecycle for all work, including requirements analysis, solution design, development, testing, deployment, and post-live support.
• Produce and maintain solution design documents (SDDs), technical specifications, test plans, and operational support documentation to a high standard.
• Use source control systems (e.g. Git, Azure DevOps) to manage all code, configuration, and documentation changes.
• Participate in design reviews, peer reviews, retrospectives, and continuous improvement activities.
• Ensure all development work is subject to appropriate change management, clinical safety, and release governance processes.
• Maintain working knowledge of functional areas of relevant clinical systems, interface engines, and associated clinical/operational workflows.
• Provide expert input to project plans, technical specifications, non-functional requirements, test strategies, and go-live readiness criteria.

Service Management and Support

• Provide second and third-line technical support for live integrations, automations, and in-house applications within an SLA-driven environment.
• Diagnose and resolve complex application, interface, and automation faults, providing safe workarounds where immediate resolution is not possible.
• Participate in incident, problem, and change management processes in accordance with ITIL and Trust governance standards.
• Escalate to senior management for information, ratification, or decision-making when thresholds are met (risk, cost, patient impact, or strategic alignment).

Communications and Relationships

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clinical, operational, and technical stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver solutions that meet business need.
• Communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical audiences, tailoring content for different stakeholders.
• Work closely with Business Partners, Technical Services, and application teams to understand requirements, align approaches, and resolve issues.
• Contribute to professional reports, options appraisals, and presentations as required.
• Represent the team at internal forums and working groups relating to digital integration, automation, and development.