The National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) is a
Scottish Government database accessible to
public bodies approved by the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
. The register was established in the early 1950s to facilitate the transfer of patients between
Health Board areas or across borders within the
countries of the United Kingdom. However, its role has expanded over the decades and it now also provides
Scottish local authorities with a Unique Citizen Reference Number or UCRN used to identify people on their own databases.
[
In 2006, the Scottish Government and the National Records of Scotland made a major expansion of the applications of the NHSCR by changing regulations with section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006.][(2015]
National Health Service Central Register
National Records for Scotland, Retrieved 10 March 2015 In 2015, the Scottish Government proposed expanding access to the NHSCR to more than 100 additional public bodies. The associated consultation received 302 responses. The proposed expansion was criticised by the Open Rights Group, who believed it may breach data protection rules and human rights and resembles a national identity system. In February 2017, the Scottish Government informed the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
that it did not intend to proceed with the proposals.
Community Health Index
The Community Health Index is a register of all patients in NHS Scotland, Scotland's publicly funded healthcare system. The register exists to ensure that patients can be correctly identified, and that all information pertaining to a patient's health is available to providers of care.
Patients are identified using a ten-digit number known as the CHI Number, pronounced /ˈkaɪ/. This number is normally formed using the patient's date of birth (as DDMMYY), followed by four digits: two digits randomly generated, the third digit identifying gender (odd for men, even for women) and a check digit (Modulus-11). As of March 2010, uptake of this number (based on radiology requests) varied across Scotland from 96.5% to 99.9% depending on the local NHS Board.
Pharmacy
The CHI number is included in electronic medical referencing systems, such as AMS (Acute Medicine Service), CMS (Chronic Medicine Service) and MAS (Minor Ailment Scheme
A Minor Ailment Scheme is a service provided by pharmacies for the National Health Service, first established in England in 2008.
Treatment is provided for conditions such as acute coughs, diarrhoea, earache and simple eczema in children. It is ...
). All of these connect to Scotland's ''ePharmacy'' which contains details of all medical patients for Scotland.[The Scottish Government, (January 2008]
ePharmacy Toolkit for Community Pharmacists
NHS Scotland, , Retrieved 10 March 2015
See also
* NHS number
* Registration district
* Scottish National Entitlement Card
References
{{Reflist
External links
National Health Service Central Register
at the National Records of Scotland
NHS Scotland
1950s establishments in Scotland
Databases in Scotland
Government databases in the United Kingdom
Identity management systems
Health informatics in the United Kingdom
National identification numbers
Politics and technology
Demographics of Scotland
Authentication methods