Guide
How to find your NHS number
It’s the number that opens your health record. Here’s where to find it, and why we suggest putting it on your medical ID.
What it looks like
Your NHS number is 10 digits long. It’s usually written in three groups, like this: 943 476 5919. Everyone registered with a GP in England and Wales has one, and it stays the same for life, even if you move house or change surgery.
You don’t need to know it to use NHS services, so don’t worry if you’ve never looked for it before.
Where to find it
- In the NHS App. Log in to the app, or to your account on the NHS website, and you’ll find it there.
- On a prescription. It’s printed on your prescriptions, including the slip you use to order repeats.
- On a letter. Letters from your GP surgery or the hospital, such as appointment letters and test results, usually show it.
- By asking your GP surgery. They can tell you. They may ask you to show who you are first.
The NHS website has a short page on finding your NHS number (opens in a new tab). The online look-up service that used to be on that page has closed, so use one of the ways above.
If you’re helping a parent, sit down together with one of their prescriptions or a letter from their surgery. It’s usually the quickest way.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In Wales you have an NHS number too. In Scotland the health service uses a CHI (Community Health Index) number instead, and in Northern Ireland it’s a Health and Care (H&C) number. Both are 10 digits. You’ll find them on letters from your GP or the hospital, or your GP practice can tell you.
When you personalise a pendant, you can choose which of the three numbers to engrave.
Why we suggest engraving it
In England, ambulance crews can use your NHS number to look up your Summary Care Record. It shows the medicines you take, your allergies and any bad reactions you’ve had to medicines. If you can’t speak for yourself, it helps them avoid giving you something that could harm you.
Next to your name and date of birth, it also helps hospital staff confirm who you are. Your GP practice keeps the record, not us. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland records are shared in different ways, and your GP practice can tell you what’s available where you live.
It’s your choice
Engraving your NHS number is optional. A MediWear pendant is a medical ID first, and you can engrave whatever you like on it, up to four lines. Some people choose their name, a condition and someone to call instead.
If you don’t have the number to hand yet, you can choose a blank pendant and have it engraved later. Or call us on 020 7183 0355 and we’ll talk it through.