The National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) is a Scottish Government database accessible to

public bodies A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, thus, they are statutes owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in so ...

approved by the Scottish Parliament. 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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), since 1922, comprises three constituent countries and a region: England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up the region of Great Britain), as well as Northern Ireland, ...

. However, its role has expanded over the decades and it now also provides

Scottish local authorities Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majori ...

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 , type = Non-ministerial government department , logo = National Records of Scotland logo.svg , logo_width = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = National Archives of Scotland , preceding2 = General Regi ...

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 The Open Rights Group (ORG) is a UK-based organisation that works to preserve digital rights and freedoms by campaigning on digital rights issues and by fostering a community of grassroots activists. It campaigns on numerous issues including ma ...

, 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 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 NHS Scotland, sometimes styled NHSScotland, is the publicly funded healthcare system in Scotland and one of the four systems that make up the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It operates 14 territorial NHS boards across Scotland, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

'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 Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

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 Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

(odd for men, even for women) and a

check digit A check digit is a form of redundancy check used for error detection on identification numbers, such as bank account numbers, which are used in an application where they will at least sometimes be input manually. It is analogous to a binary parity ...

(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). 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

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

Community Health Index

Pharmacy

See also

References

External links