NHS number
What it really means
A ten-digit number that identifies you in the NHS. You get one when you first register with a GP in England. It's on prescriptions and hospital letters — keep a note of it.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Your NHS number is a ten-digit identifier assigned when you first register with the NHS, and it stays with you for life — new GP, new city, same number. It appears on GP letters, prescriptions and in the NHS App, and there is an official online 'find my NHS number' service if you lose track of it. Save it in your phone: quoting it speeds up bookings, referrals and results queries considerably.
Two reassurances: you do not need to know your number to receive care, and no one is refused emergency treatment for lacking one. Treat it with mild privacy — it identifies your medical record — but it is not a payment or immigration document, and NHS staff are the only people with any business asking for it.