NHS Number Programme

The NHS Number Programme aims to improve patient safety by minimizing clinical risks caused by misallocation of patient information and resolving barriers to safely sharing information across healthcare settings. Incidents of patient confusion and errors due to reliance on local hospital number systems have endangered patient safety. Priority settings for implementing the NHS Number include general practice, secondary care, ambulance services, and social care. Current projects include developing published standards for general practice and secondary care, as well as social care standard development and a public awareness campaign.