Duplicate NHS numbers

A duplicate NHS number occurs when a single patient is allocated more than one NHS number, resulting in multiple records for the same individual. This can happen due to registration errors or incomplete demographic checks.

Duplicate NHS numbers can:

• Divide a patient’s medical history across different records.
• Cause clinical risks such as incorrect prescriptions or missed referrals.
• Create operational delays and financial inaccuracies for practices. 

You may notice:

• Two NHS numbers linked to the same patient details.
• Conflicting demographic information in your clinical system.
• Notifications from PCSE or National Back Office (NBO) requesting confirmation of patient details.
• There may be information missing from your patient’s record.

• Contact the patient to confirm their details (name, date of birth, previous addresses).
• Submit a “Duplicates and Confusions” enquiry via the PCSE Contact Us page. Include as much detail as possible. 

PCSE will:

• Validate the information and escalate to NBO.
• NBO will merge the records and retain one NHS number.
• PCSE will confirm the correct NHS number to use and advise the practice to update the clinical system. 

The superseded number is merged into the retained number and can no longer be used. Practices’ must ensure their clinical system reflects the retained NHS number only. Contact your system supplier if you need help merging the clinical system records.

Patients moving from Northern Ireland to England often have an existing Health & Care (H&C) number, which is the Northern Ireland equivalent of an NHS number. 

The systems in England and Northern Ireland are not fully integrated, when these patients register with an English GP practice, the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) may allocate a new NHS number. This creates a temporary duplicate.

The National Back Office (NBO) identifies these cases and merges the records, usually retaining the original number. This process is quick, but for a short time, the patient may have two NHS numbers.

• Always verify patient details carefully during registration:
  • Full name (including middle names).
  • Date of birth.
  • Previous addresses and GP details.
  • Date of entry into the UK (If they are from abroad)
• Always search the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) before registering a patient.

Patient does not respond to a request from the GP Practice to verify their details, in the case of a duplicate registration. 

After you have raised the duplicate case and have chased the patient without a response, please let PCSE know and we can log this to the National Back Office to see if they have further information on their side to help with merging the numbers.

Receiving medical records after a duplicate patient record has been merged.

Once the two NHS numbers are merged, a transit label will be generated for any medical records that are linked to the patient but that are not at the current practice.  This will enable the movement of the records as per the usual process. 

Please note: Digital Lloyd George records may already be available through the NHS Access and Store Digital Patient Records Service. Once a patient’s ODS code updates after registration, your practice may be able to view or download their digitised record directly, reducing the time spent waiting for physical files.
 

New patient registers without NHS number and there are two NHS numbers on the Spine.

If you discover the patient has two NHS numbers, first make sure they relate to the same patient (based on the information the patient provided on the registration form).  If both numbers do belong to the same patient, you should use the number that is registered to a current practice. 
 

One patient, with two records, one with and one without an NHS number.

PCSE would not see this as a duplicate as 2 NHS numbers have not been allocated to the patient.  If you have two entries on your system for a patient but only one NHS number, then you should merge the clinical system records.  For advice on how to do this please contact your system supplier.

 
An incorrect registration results in an additional record being created, with an NHS number. 

If the incorrect record that was created resulted in an extra NHS number being allocated, then please raise an online form by visiting the following link. You should select Patient Registrations as the category, and Duplicates and Confusions as the type. If the extra record did not result in an extra NHS number, then please merge the records on your local system.