Change Request
 
NHS Information Authority

Reference: Change Request 329
Version No:1.7
Subject:Welsh Organisation changes from 1 April 2003
Type of Change:Revision of NHS data standards
Effective Date:1 April 2003
Reason for Change:Change to Welsh health organisations

Background:

The strategy document Improving Health in Wales set out future changes to the organisation structure for health services in Wales. On 1 April 2003, the five Welsh Health Authorities were abolished and replaced by 22 Local Health Boards.

This DSCN introduces the necessary amendments to coding structures in the NHS Data Dictionary to support the changes in Wales.

The opportunity has also been taken to correct misleading text in ORGANISATION CODE (CODE OF COMMISSIONER).

Summary of changes:
 
Data Elements
ORGANISATION CODE (CODE OF COMMISSIONER)   Change to description
 
Supporting Information
NHS ORGANISATION CODES TABLES   Change to supporting information
NHS POSTCODE DIRECTORY   Change to supporting information

Name:Janet Assheton
Date:1 July 2003
Sponsor:Data and Information Standards Programme

Note: Additions shown in highlighted with a blue background. Deletions are shown using strikeout.

ORGANISATION CODE (CODE OF COMMISSIONER)
Change to Data Element: change to description

Format/length: an5
HES item: PURCODE
National Codes:
Default Codes:

Notes:
This is the ORGANISATION CODE of the ORGANISATION commissioning health care. The organisation code of the PRIMARY CARE TRUST should be recorded in the ORGANISATION CODE (CODE OF COMMISSIONER) field. Organisations may wish to use a component of the COMMISSIONING SERIAL NUMBER in the CDS to identify the actual commissioner of the Service Agreement.

The ORGANISATION CODE of the PRIMARY CARE TRUST which is the NHS Trust's main commissioner (normally the PRIMARY CARE TRUST with the highest value of Service Agreements with the NHS Trust) is recorded for OUT OF AREA TREATMENTS. For Specialised Services, the ORGANISATION CODE required would be that of the commissioning consortium. The code may be the ORGANISATION CODE of the 'lead' commissioner.

Commissioning responsibility for individual patients rests with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) with whom the patient is registered. This means that patients registered with a GP in one PCT area may reside in a neighbouring or other area but remain the responsibility of the PCT with whom their GP of registration is associated. PCTs are also responsible for non-registered patients who are resident within their boundaries.

See NHS Administrative Codesfor a description of ORGANISATION CODESS. Where activity is commissioned by a Welsh Local Health Board the ORGANISATION CODE required is that of the Local Health Board. Where specialised services are commissioned by Health Commission Wales the code W01HC should be used.

See NHS Administrative Codes  for a description of ORGANISATION CODES.



This data element is also known by these names:
ContextAlias
pluralORGANISATION CODES (CODE OF COMMISSIONER)


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NHS ORGANISATION CODES TABLES
Change to Supporting Information: Change to supporting information

Administrative Codes and Classifications

NHS ORGANISATION CODES TABLES

Table 1: CODING FORMATS for ORGANISATION in ENGLAND and WALES Table 1: CODING FORMATS for ORGANISATION in ENGLAND
Organisation Type Character Position Code allocated by: Notes/Comments
  1 2 3 4 5    
Regional Office Y 0-9 0-9     OCS Note: W00 - Wales
Strategic Health Authority Q A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS  
Strategic Health Authority Q A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS 2nd char = W for Welsh HAs
Care Trust T A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS The 00 suffix should only be used when a 5- character code is required for a Trust and no other 5-character code is available
Care Trust Site T A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS  
Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5 A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS The 00 suffix should only be used when a 5-character code is required for a Trust and no other 5-character code is available
Primary Care Trust Site 5 A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS  
Special Health Authority (SHA) T 0-9 0-9 0 0 OCS  
Special Health Authority (SpHA) T 0-9 0-9 0 0 OCS  
Other Statutory Authority (OSA) X 0-9 0-9 0 0 OCS  
OSA Site X 0-9 0-9 0-9 0-9 OCS  
NHS Trust R A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS The 00 suffix should only be used when a 5-character code is required for a Trust and no other 5-character code is available
NHS Trust Site R A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS  

Hospices

 (1) R A-9 0-9 0-9 0-9 OCS

A hospice may either be situated at NHS Trust level (1) or be an Independent Provider (2).
(2) 8 A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS
Independent Provider 8 A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS  
MoD Hospital X M D A, F or N 0-9 OCS A=Army, F=RAF, N=Navy
Private patient V P P 0 0 DH  
Pathology Laboratories 6 A-Z A-Z A-9 A-9 OCS  

Note: A-9 indicates that characters A-Z and 0-9 are valid.

Table 2: CODING FORMATS for ORGANISATION in SCOTLAND
Organisation Type Character Position Code allocated by: Notes/Comments
  1 2 3 4 5    
Scottish Health Board S A-Z 9 9 9 ISD, Scotland  
Scottish Health Agency S D 0-9 0-9 0-9 ISD, Scotland 2nd character (D) identifies Scottish Office agencies
Scottish Provider S A-Z A,C,D 0-9 0-9 ISD, Scotland 2nd character identifies the Health Board the organisation reports to; the 3rd character identifies the organisation type:
A= Health Unit
C = Hospital Trust
D = Nursing Home

Table 3: CODING FORMATS for ORGANISATION in NORTHERN IRELAND
Organisation Type Character Position Code allocated by: Notes/Comments
  1 2 3 4 5    
NI Health Board Z E,N,S,W 0 0 0 NI HSS Executive E = Eastern
N= Northern
S = Southern
W = Western
NI Provider Z 1,7 0-9 0-9 0-9 NI HSS Executive 2nd character identifies organisation:
1=HSS Trust
7 = Independent Provider

Table 4: CODING FORMATS for ORGANISATION in WALES
Organisation Type Character Position Code allocated by: Notes/Comments
  1 2 3 4 5 -
Local Health Board 6 A-Z 1-9 0 0 OCS The 00 suffix should only be used when a 5-character code is required for a Trust and no other 5-character code is available.
Local Health Board Site 6 A-Z 1-9 A-9 A-9 Health Solutions Wales  
NHS Trust R A-9 A-9 0 0 OCS The 00 suffix should only be used when a 5-character code is required for a Trust and no other 5-character code is available.
NHS Trust Site R A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 Health Solutions Wales  
Independent Provider 8 W A-9 A-9 A-9 Health Solutions Wales  
Other Statutory Authority (OSA) X 0-9 0-9 0 0 OCS  
OSA Site X 0-9 0-9 0-9 0-9 OCS  

Hospices

 (1) R A-9 0-9 0-9 0-9 OCS

A hospice may either be situated at NHS Trust level (1) or be an Independent Provider (2).
(2) 8 A-9 A-9 A-9 A-9 OCS
MoD Hospital X M D A, F or N 0-9 OCS A=Army, F=RAF, N=Navy
Private patient V P P 0 0 DH  

Note: A-9 indicates that characters A-Z and 0-9 are valid.

Note: a 'Regional Code' of W00 for Wales is shown in the OCS files, to enable Welsh organisations to be distinguished from English organisations where the same coding frame is used.


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NHS POSTCODE DIRECTORY
Change to Supporting Information: Change to supporting information

NHS Postcode Directory

NHS Postcode Directory

NHS POSTCODE DIRECTORY

  1. The NHS Postcode Directory is maintained, on behalf of the Department of Health, by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It contains a record for every postcode in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and associates each postcode with a variety of geographic information, including grid references, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authority codes. The file also includes pseudo postcodes covering defaults and overseas countries.

  1. The full and reduced versions of the NHS Postcode Directory are issued every quarter by the Organisation Codes Service (OCS). A CD-ROM is sent to named recipients both inside the NHS and to other recipients licensed to use this data in support of the NHS. Both versions of the NHS Postcode Directory are also available via the NHSnet.

  1. A full description of the NHS Postcode Directory and the OCS reduced postcode data files, can be found by browsing the following website: nww.nhsia.nhs.uk/ocs/onsdata.htm. This website is only available on the NHSnet. Please see Contact Details.

  1. The ONS will supply, on request and at a cost, copies of the NHS Postcode Directory, on different media, in different formats and for selected extracts. Contact the ONS for details and charges; See Contact Details.

    Postcodes

  1. All postcodes made available via OCS postcode files have been standardised to the eight character postcode format as used by the Royal Mail's Postal Address File (PAF). All NHS Organisations should ensure that they conform to the postcode format.

  1. Postcodes are of the general format :

    Character Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
    Format a a/n a/n a/n space n a a
    Coding Frame Outward Code space Inward Code

  1. The coding frame allows the use of digits 0 (zero) to 9 and the use of upper-case alpha characters; no special characters are allowed.

  1. The fifth character of all standard format postcodes is always a space, and separates the outward and inward parts of the postcode. The outward part of the postcode is left-justified and can contain 2, 3 or 4 characters, and is space-filled in character positions 3 and 4 where required. The inward part of the postcode is always 3 characters.

    The following table gives examples of typical postcodes :

    Character Position Allocated by Notes
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8    
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8    
    W 9       3 X X Royal Mail  
    D A 1     5 P L Royal Mail  
    M K 4 5   1 T E Royal Mail  
    Z Z 9 9   4 L Z OCS Pseudo Postcodes, Defaults and Overseas

  1. The "Scottish split postcode indicator" field was discontinued from the 1996/1 version of the NHS Postcode Directory. This value used to appear in the 8th character position of the postcode (the postcode field was then only 7 characters in length). The Alternative version of the NHS Postcode Directory, showing postcodes containing this field, is available from the ONS.

    Strategic Health Authority/Health Authority/Health Board Codes
    Strategic Health Authority/Local Health Board/Health Board Codes

  1. Strategic Health Authorities in England and Health Authorities in Wales are indicated by their standard OCS codes (Q codes). Health Boards in Scotland use a three character version of the Health Board code (range SA9 - SZ9). The four Northern Ireland Health Boards are indicated by their standard codes - ZE0, ZN0, ZS0, ZW0.

  1. Strategic Health Authorities in England are indicated by their standard OCS codes (Q codes). Local Health Boards in Wales use five character codes commencing with a '6', and with the last two characters '00'. Health Boards in Scotland use a three character version of the Health Board code (range SA9 - SZ9). The four Northern Ireland Health Boards are indicated by their standard codes - ZE0, ZN0, ZS0, ZW0.

  1. No Strategic Health Authorities exist for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man so notional (or dummy) Strategic Health Authority codes are used to identify postcodes from these locations. The default Pseudo health authority code of X98 is used to indicate pseudo postcodes (defaults and overseas).

  1. For further information on Strategic Health Authority and Health Board codes and their values, See ADMINISTRATIVE CODES.

  1. For further information on Strategic Health Authority, Local Health Board, and Health Board codes and their values, See ADMINISTRATIVE CODES.

    Related Products

  1. The ONS produce annually two related publications : ONS Geography User Guide 9 (The Area of Residence Classification) and ONS Geography User Guide 10 (The NHS Organisation Manual). These show a breakdown of Strategic Health Authorities by Local Government authorities and Electoral Wards. Copies are available from ONS. Electronic copies are also included in the full NHS Postcode Directory on CD-ROM as provided by OCS.

  1. ONS produce a version of the Postcode Directory that is based on a stable area base to facilitate time series analysis - the 1991-based Frozen Postcode Directory. This is available from the ONS.

  1. The OCS issues the full manuals on the CD-ROM each quarter. This ensures that any new customers receive the necessary information.

    Changes

  1. The ONS should be notified of any queries relating to the allocation of postcodes to Strategic Health Authorities or Primary Care Trusts. All such queries are investigated by ONS, and any agreed changes are included in the following edition of the NHS Postcode Directory. The monthly postcode corrections are also included on the NHSnet, See Contact Details.

  1. Requests and suggestions for improvements to the NHS Postcode Directory or queries relating to its use should be directed to OCS, who are taking the lead on this product on behalf of the NHS; see Contact Details.


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Please send enquiries about this DSCN to the mailbox of the Data and Information Standards Programme:-

e-mail: disp@nhsia.nhs.uk