National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR)

Data available from NHSCR

Flagging Study – this needs Patient Informed Consent

NHSCR is particularly useful for identifying the subjects of a study population who:

• are employed in a particular industry

• are resident in a certain area

• have received certain forms of treatment.

Their records are flagged with a cipher representing the study. When deaths notified to NHSCR relate to such entries, researchers can be informed of the death and supplied with copies of the death certificate. Researchers can also be informed of other events before or after flagging e.g. cancer registrations, name change.

Status Study – this needs Ethics Approval only

NHSCR can help with the use of Vital Events data (Births Marriages and Deaths) for straightforward verification of the status of people with whom contact has been lost. For those found to have died, details of the date and certified causes of death can be supplied.

For these Studies NHSCR can Supply

When the death of a flagged patient occurs anywhere in the United Kingdom, we can if requested supply the researcher with a death certificate, bearing the cause of death coded to the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases (currently version ICD10).

For Approved Medical Research Projects with the Appropriate Informed Consent

NHSCR can supply:

• cancer registration information;

• name of the health area in the UK in which the patient is currently registered;

• notification of change of name;

• or the fact a person is no longer registered with a UK NHS doctor; and 

• finding patients with whom contact has been lost.