I have received a letter, but I dont know what it is about?

• The letter relates to a code on our database.
• It registers you as an independent Provider of services to the NHS. [This means that you may be providing services for which you are paid by the local PCT]

Why have I got this code?

• So that you can be paid for any NHS referrals or other services you may provide.
• If you do not know about the code, it will have been arranged for you by either the local PCT or Health Authority at a time when they have needed to make a payment. [It may have been a one-off, if you are not providing and have no plans to provide services in the future.]

What does the code mean?

• See above.

We are a private company providing IT services to the NHS and have an N3 connection; do we still require a code?

• You will still require your code if you are continuing to provide services to the NHS and still require an N3 connection.  However, if this is not the case you will no longer need the code.

I am nothing to do with the NHS, do I need this code?

• If you are not receiving any money from an NHS Organisation, then you do not. It may be that the previous occupant of your address may have been registered with the local PCT. [Some codes relate to addresses, for example 62 whatever street. This means that at some point your address was an asset for a trust, it could have been a privately owned clinic or even in some cases a hospital or care home was formerly located where your property is situated.]

If I have/ keep this code, will I get referrals?

• Not necessarily, in order to receive referrals you must contact your local PCT, to make them aware that you are able to provide services for them. [They will want proof of your qualifications. Having this code in no way guarantees that you will receive referrals, as each PCT budget is managed at a local level.] The Postcode Look up on the OCS website will identify a PCT, using a postcode

We are an NHS Organisation, why do we have a non-NHS Organisation Code?

• At some point, either a PCT, Health Authority or potentially the Department of Health (DH) will have requested that your organisation be given a code for financial or statistical purposes.

So, do we need to keep the Code?

• If you are receiving funds from your local Primary Care Trust, over and above your normal budgetary allotment, usually on a case by case basis, then this code facilitates that payment, so you do require it. [Most likely you will not require this code, unless you are GP surgery, then there are other considerations] See below

I am an NHS GP , why do I have this code?

• It may be that you were once paid using a fund holder account and if this is the case then, this code allowed those payments to be made. Another reason for you having a code, would be if you were providing a service to your patients which is outside of your contract with the NHS. You might be performing Minor Operations etc, for which you / the surgery receives payment on a patient by patient basis. If the latter is not the case, then the code will not be required.

We are a Surgery of NHS salaried GPs, why do we have this code?

• The code will have been registered by either your local PCT, Health Authority of potentially the DH. If your surgery provides a service to your patients for which you receive funds on a patient by patient basis, that is over and above your normal budget, then your code facilitates this payment.

The code on your letter differs slightly to what I thought was my code?

• The code on our letter is correct as per our database, the First digit is the number 8, sometimes this can be misread as the letter B. [Sometimes a PCT will take our codes and then add their own prefix, for example the number 2, this would be for their own purposes and will relate to your dealings solely with that particular trust.]

Our Organisation has many sites across the country, do they all need to be registered?

• No, we will have the sites registered that are currently providing services, or that need to be differentiated from other sites of the same organisation.

This question will usually be asked by a care home operator, and more often than not all their sites will have codes.

If they are not a care home provider, for example they might provide products to NHS Orgs across the country, they will be coded as necessary, so there might be a code for the Main Office, and then codes for some individual offices as required by local PCTs. So coding all offices would be unnecessary.

What I say to people is that if a care home or a provider needs a code, then we will get a request from the PCT, so we do not need to register all sites if they have a code for their main HQ. If they do persist in requesting codes, we have no choice but to entertain their request. If this situation arises request a list of all sites and hand off to OCS.