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Onboarding to the National Care Records Service (NCRS)

Read our onboarding process for getting access to the National Care Records Service (NCRS), a quick, secure and free to use way for health and care workers to access national patient information. 

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About NCRS

NCRS provides a quick, secure and free to use way for health and care workers to access national patient information.  

Find out more about NCRS.  

Access requirements

If you are a system supplier looking to integrate NCRS into your applications, follow the supplier conformance assessment list process. 

All other users should follow the steps below.

When completed, contact your Registration Authority (RA) to arrange access to NCRS.  If you do not have an RA, you can find local contact details on the Care Identity Service (CIS) page. 

 1. Get an Organisation Data Service (ODS) code

ODS holds information on all healthcare organisations such as name, type, address and contact details.  

Each organisation has its own unique ODS code. This is required to access NCRS. 

Apply for a new ODS code.  

Search for an existing code on the ODS portal.  

 2. Complete a Personal Demographics Service (PDS) access form

The Personal Demographics Service (PDS) is the national master demographics database of all NHS patients in England, Wales and the Isle of Man. 

To access NCRS, you must complete a PDS request form. This will allow us to see: 

  • a legal basis for viewing the data  
  • how you will access PDS data 
3. Self-assess using the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)

The Data Security and Protection Toolkit allows organisations to self-assess to demonstrate that they practice good data security. 

 4. Request access to Summary Care Records (SCR) via NCRS (optional)

Summary Care Record (SCR) is a national database that holds important patient information from more than 57.5 million GP medical records. 

If your organisation is not on the list of care settings within scope of approval to view Summary Care Records, then you will need to complete an NCRS new interest form if you want to access SCR within NCRS.  

Permission to view guidelines should be followed to make sure patient consent is given when sharing their health information.

A privacy officer must also be appointed. Find more information on the SCR service guidance page. 

 5. Choose access and authentication

NCRS can be accessed in clinical, office or mobile environments either:  

  • on the internet  
  • through the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) 

Users can authenticate using a range of methods, including:  

  • smartcards 
  • biometrics 
  • Windows Hello for Business 
  • Microsoft Authenticator 

Further information 

NCRS user guidance 

Read detailed user guidance on how to complete tasks within NCRS. 

Summary Care Record 

A national database that holds electronic records of important patient information created from GP medical records. Includes current medication, allergies and details of any previous bad reactions to medicines. 

Guide to using the Reasonable Adjustment flag in NCRS 

This guide provides details on how to create a Reasonable Adjustment flag and when it is appropriate to do so. 

Last edited: 10 February 2026 9:24 am