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Medical Records: Children

Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN HL7493, tabled on 26 April 2023

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adverse (1) costs, and (2) effectiveness, of NHS services for children as a result of the absence of a consistent child identifier.

Answered on

12 May 2023

No specific assessment has been made. Every child is assigned a National Health Service number at birth or the first time they have contact with NHS services. The NHS number acts as a unique patient identifier and is used to share information within electronic healthcare records. This contributes to improved health outcomes for children by ensuring that health professionals identify patients correctly and have access to information to inform the delivery of appropriate care.