National Health Service Central Register

About the Register

The National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) contains basic demographic details of everyone who was born, or have died, in Scotland plus anyone else who is (or has been) on the list of a general medical practitioner in Scotland. The Register exists mainly to allow the smooth transfer of patients who move between Health Board areas (or across borders within the UK). It also provides to Scottish local authorities a unique reference number which is used to identify people on the database of local authority customers. The NHSCR operates under Section 57 of the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006.    

Find out more on:

• The History of the Register

• What is the Register used for?

• What information is held on the Register?

• Who has access to the Register?

• How is the Register used for medical research?

• How is the Register used for Tracing People?

• How is the Register used for Estimating Migration?

• Privacy Compliance Checks

• 1939 National Identity Register and How to Order an Official Extract