What Is the Clinical Health Dashboard?
The Clinical Health Dashboard shows you the integration health of all your connected GP practices in one place. It monitors EMIS Web integrations for both GP Referral Management and Social Prescribing modules, helping you spot issues before they affect referral workflows.
What You Can See
Which GP practices have healthy integrations
When each practice's integration service last checked in
Whether data exchanges with EMIS Web are working
Which service version each practice is running
Colour-coded status for quick health checks
How to Access the Dashboard
Log in to Access Elemental with your HCE Manager credentials.
Go to Administration from the main menu.
Click Clinical Health Dashboard.
⚠️Important: Don't see the dashboard? Contact your system administrator to check you have the HCE Manager role and that the dashboard is enabled.
Understanding What You See
The dashboard shows a table with one row per GP practice. Here's what each column means:
Column | What It Shows |
Title | GP practice name |
Last Service Heartbeat | When the integration service last checked in (should be within last few minutes) |
Last Successful File-back | When data was last successfully exchanged with EMIS Web |
Last Unsuccessful File-back | When a data exchange failed (if this is recent, there's a problem) |
Service Version | Which version of the integration service is installed |
Status | Colour-coded health indicator |
What is a "Heartbeat"?
The integration service at each GP practice sends a signal every 60 seconds to say "I'm running and connected". This is the heartbeat. If the heartbeat stops, something is wrong.
What is "File-back"?
This is when the integration service exchanges data files with EMIS Web - bringing referral and social prescribing information in and out of the clinical system.
What Do the Status Colours Mean?
Status | What It Means | What to Do |
✓ Healthy (No status shown) | Everything working normally | Nothing - just keep monitoring |
🟠 Orange "With issues" | Service is running but having problems (e.g., file-back failures) |
|
🔴 Red "Service not installed" | Integration service hasn't been set up yet |
|
"No heartbeat registered" | Service has never connected or hasn't checked in for a long time |
|
Quick Health Check
Healthy: Heartbeat within last 2 minutes, no "With issues" status
Needs attention: Orange status or heartbeat more than 5 minutes old
Critical: Red status or no heartbeat registered
How Often Should I Check?
Daily: Quick scan during business hours
Weekly: Detailed review including version checks
When onboarding: Check frequently until practice goes live
Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: New Practice Going Live
When a new GP practice is being connected, you'll see this progression:
Before installation: Red "Service not installed" status.
After installation: "No heartbeat registered" until service starts.
First connection: Heartbeat appears and status updates.
Fully operational: Healthy status or "With issues" if there are problems.
🤓Tip: Check the dashboard several times during onboarding day to confirm each stage completes successfully.
Scenario 2: Practice Shows "With Issues"
Follow these steps to investigate:
Check the Last Service Heartbeat - is it recent? If yes, the service is running but having problems.
Look at Last Unsuccessful File-back - when did failures start?
Note the Service Version - is it up to date?
Contact the practice IT team with this information.
Scenario 3: Planning Service Upgrades
Use the Service Version column to identify practices that need upgrading:
Scan the Service Version column for older versions.
Prioritise practices with known issues in their current version.
Schedule upgrades during maintenance windows.
After upgrade, monitor dashboard for heartbeat to resume.
🤓Tip: Keep all practices on similar versions to avoid compatibility issues.
Quick Troubleshooting
Problem: No heartbeat registered
What to check:
Is the integration service running? (Check Windows Services)
Can the server reach Access Elemental? (Test network connectivity)
Are firewall ports open? (Outbound HTTPS port 443)
Are configuration settings correct? (Server URLs, credentials)
Problem: Frequent file-back failures
What to check:
Is EMIS Web available at the practice?
Are EMIS Web API credentials valid and not expired?
Check service logs for specific error messages.
Test connectivity to EMIS Web API endpoints.
Problem: Heartbeats present but status "With issues"
What to check:
Service is running but having operational problems.
Review recent file-back timestamps.
Check service logs for warnings or errors.
Check service logs for warnings or errors.
Verify EMIS Web integration is functioning.
When to Escalate
Contact Access Elemental support if:
Issues persist after checking the above.
Multiple practices show the same problem.
You need help interpreting service logs.
When Contacting Support, Provide:
Practice name.
Current status and timestamps from dashboard.
Service version number.
Steps you've already taken.
Quick Reference
Heartbeat Timing Guide
Last Heartbeat | Status | Action |
Within 2 minutes | ✓ Healthy | Continue monitoring. |
2-5 minutes | ⚠ Slight delay | Watch for continued delays. |
Daily Monitoring Checklist
Scan Status column for orange or red indicators.
Check for heartbeats more than 5 minutes old.
Review any recent unsuccessful file-backs.
Note any practices needing version upgrades.
Document and act on any issues found.
Key Terms
Term | Meaning |
Heartbeat | Signal sent every 60 seconds to confirm service is running. |
File-back | Data exchange process with EMIS Web. |
Integration Service | Software installed at each GP practice that connects to EMIS Web. |
Establishment | GP practice or healthcare facility. |
Service | Web. |
Need Help?
Contact Access Elemental support via the Customer Success Portal or reference work item #1948767.