Nervecentre Browser Automation

Automate NHS Nervecentre EPR interactions using local browser MCP servers with Claude Code.

Quick Start

1. Run Installation Script

# From skill directory
./scripts/install.sh

This installs browser-use, Playwright, and configures Claude Code MCP servers.

2. Verify Setup

claude mcp list

Should show browser-use and/or playwright connected.

3. Start Automation

Navigate to Nervecentre test instance.
Log in with credentials from environment.
Extract patient list from Ward A.

Tool Selection

Core Commands

browser-use MCP

# Navigation
"Navigate to https://nervecentre-test.nhs.uk"

# Actions (natural language)
"Click the login button"
"Enter username testuser into the username field"
"Select Ward A from the ward dropdown"

# Extraction
"Extract all patient names and hospital numbers from the table"

# Screenshots
"Take a screenshot of the current page"

Playwright MCP

# Navigation
playwright_navigate: { url: "https://nervecentre-test.nhs.uk" }

# Click (uses accessibility tree)
playwright_click: { element: "Login button" }

# Fill form
playwright_fill: { element: "Username field", value: "testuser" }

# Extract text
playwright_snapshot  # Returns accessibility tree

Authentication

Option A: Environment Variables (Recommended)

Set before starting Claude Code:

export NC_USERNAME="your-username"
export NC_PASSWORD="your-password"
export NC_URL="https://nervecentre-test.nhs.uk"

Then prompt:

Log into Nervecentre using credentials from NC_USERNAME and NC_PASSWORD environment variables.

Option B: Session Persistence

1. Log in manually in headed mode
2. Save browser state
3. Reuse in subsequent sessions

# Start headed browser for manual login
claude mcp add-json "browser-use-headed" '{
  "command": "uvx",
  "args": ["browser-use", "--mcp", "--headed"],
  "env": {"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "..."}
}'

Option C: Use Existing Chrome Session

Install Browser MCP extension, then Claude controls your already-authenticated browser.

Common Workflows

Extract Patient List

1. Navigate to Nervecentre patient worklist
2. Filter by ward if specified
3. Extract table data: hospital_number, name, ward, bed, admission_date
4. Output as JSON array
5. Handle pagination if multiple pages

Access Clinical Notes

1. Search for patient by hospital number
2. Open patient record
3. Navigate to Clinical Notes section
4. Extract notes with: date, author, role, content
5. Preserve chronological order

Security Assessment

1. Log in as test user
2. Attempt unauthorized access (e.g., different ward)
3. Document authorization response
4. Capture screenshot evidence
5. Report findings

Output Formats

JSON (Default)

{
  "patients": [
    {
      "hospital_number": "12345678",
      "name": "Test Patient",
      "ward": "Ward A",
      "bed": "Bed 1"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "extracted_at": "2025-12-18T10:30:00Z",
    "total_count": 15
  }
}

Markdown Table

| Hospital # | Name | Ward | Bed |
|------------|------|------|-----|
| 12345678 | Test Patient | Ward A | Bed 1 |

Troubleshooting

"Cannot connect to Nervecentre"

• Verify on hospital WiFi/VPN
• Check NC_URL environment variable
• Try curl $NC_URL to test connectivity

"Authentication failed"

• Verify credentials in environment
• Check OAuth flow completed
• Try headed mode for manual intervention

"Element not found"

• Nervecentre uses dynamic loading; add waits
• Try natural language description instead of selector
• Use playwright_snapshot to see available elements

"MCP server not connected"

• Run claude mcp list to check status
• Restart Claude Code
• Check logs: ~/.claude/logs/

Security Requirements

• ✅ Non-live/test instance ONLY
• ✅ NHS Information Governance approval
• ✅ Test patient data only (never real PII)
• ✅ Document all automated access
• ✅ Session cleanup after use
• ✅ DSPT compliance boundaries

Reference Files

• Installation Guide - Detailed setup for all platforms
• MCP Configuration - Full configuration options
• Nervecentre Patterns - Common selectors and workflows