The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), together with NHS Connecting for Health (in England) and Informing Healthcare (in Wales), is issuing a “Safer Practice Notice” recommending that the NHS number is used as the national unique patient identifier.
Between June 2006 and August 2008, the NPSA received reports of over 1,300 incidents resulting from confusion and errors about patients’ identifying numbers. Many of these involved duplication in local numbering systems, for example two patients having the same number, or one patient having more than one number.
While no deaths or cases of serious harm to patients have been reported so far, healthcare staff have commented that this is causing significant risk to patient safety.
Local hospital numbering systems can still be used alongside the NHS number where necessary. However, it is a requirement that these recommendations are actioned by 18 September 2009.
