Consultation for NHS Statement of Compliance
Information Governance Management
Group Pharmacies
Guidance
Requirement 15 ( Ref: 401)
Does the Group Pharmacy ensure that the NHS Number is used routinely on all
communications and active patient/service user records?
Groups should ensure that their Pharmacies routinely collect a validated NHS
number for every active patient, which is used routinely on records or on
clinical communications generated by a Pharmacy.
NHS Number strategy
Where a Pharmacy receives information about an NHS patient/service user in order
to provide that person with treatment, care or services the Group must ensure that an
NHS Number is both recorded and validated with the NHS organisation. To meet this
requirement the Group must have procedures in place that set out how pre-recorded
NHS Numbers will be checked and how NHS Numbers will be collected if they are
not already recorded.
Validation
Validation means that the NHS Number has been checked and confirmed to be
correct for a particular patient/service user. Validation will be either via the NHS
organisation providing the patient/service user information or via the new tracing
service. The Group should take advice from the NHS organisation(s) with which it
contracts on the most appropriate method.
Where the Group is unable to access the tracing service, the onus is on the NHS
organisation providing this information. The Group should confirm with the NHS
organisation that all NHS Numbers supplied to it have been recently traced and
validated.
Active patients
Active patients/service users are those that are undergoing or awaiting treatment,
care or services from the Group. Therefore it encompasses any patient/service user
referred by the NHS organisation who is awaiting their first appointment with the
Group, through to the point at which they are finally discharged back to the care of
the NHS organisation. This includes, smoking cessation clinics, anticoagulation
services, asthma management services etc, provided in partnership with primary
care organisations.
The Group should regularly review validated and un-validated numbers with the aim
of achieving 100% of validated numbers within the patient/service user records it
holds.
Responsibility for monitoring NHS Number collection and validation should be
allocated to an appropriate staff member in each Pharmacy, but be coordinated
centrally by a senior member of staff. The responsibility should be contained within
job descriptions. The nominated person, should ensure that procedures are followed
and that any other staff members are aware of the importance of collecting, recording
and verifying NHS Numbers.
Improvement plans
 Level 1
The Group should review its current arrangements and develop or document a
procedure for collecting, checking and validating patient/service user numbers.
Where necessary, the Group should take advice from the NHS organisation with
which it contracts.
 Level 2
The Group should ensure that its procedure for collecting, checking and validating
NHS Numbers is implemented in each of its Pharmacies and ensure that the Number
is routinely used in clinical communications. The Group should ensure that its
employees are aware of and comply with the procedure.
 Level 3
The Group should be able to demonstrate commitment to working towards 100%
verification of NHS numbers for the active patient/service user records it holds and to
ensuring that the NHS number is used in all clinical communications.
Useful website:
NHS CFH Data Services web page This web page leads to Information Quality
Assurance Programme site which has information and guidance influential to
this requirement. The Publications section is particularly useful for guidance
documents.