How to use the NHS England Terminology Server
Use this page to find guides, tutorials and videos on how to browse, map, integrate and create terminology resources using the NHS England Terminology Server.
The Terminology Server provides access to clinical vocabularies (such as SNOMED CT, dm+d, ICD-10 and OPCS) using the HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) messaging standard. It stores terminology in a consistent, structured format and can be accessed through FHIR RESTful APIs.
If you would like to learn more about FHIR, we recommend exploring the NHS England FHIR API website where you can learn how FHIR resources work and how they are used across NHS England systems. It is useful for users who plan to create or manage FHIR resources as it explains how these resources are structured and how to request FHIR terminology resources from the server.
You can access the Terminology Server using a self-service login or a system-to-system account. Find out more about how to access the Terminology Server.
Browse FHIR terminology resources (Shrimp)
Shrimp is a tool to browse FHIR terminology resources on the Terminology Server. SNOMED CT UK Edition and dm+d have been converted into FHIR terminology standard.
SNOMED CT
To improve the querying of SNOMED CT, Shrimp has implemented a SNOMED CT Expression Constraint Language (ECL) Builder. ECL is only available for SNOMED CT.
Video: Search SNOMED CT using the browser.
Video: Query and download results with the ECL Builder.
Video: Use ‘Members of’ search to refine results.
Map codes (Snapper:Map)
Snapper:Map is a tool to map local codes to national standards on the Terminology Server. This can support the migration from local codes to national codes.
Integrate with your own system (using APIs)
SNOMED CT
To help with integrating SNOMED CT with your own system using the APIs, it's useful to know about the structure and functionality of SNOMED CT.
Read an overview of SNOMED CT fundamentals
See information, examples and models to help you successfully deliver your own organisation's implementation of SNOMED CT.
Author FHIR terminology resources (Snapper:Author)
Snapper:Author is a tool to create FHIR terminology resources (code systems, value sets and concept maps).
FHIR terminology resources can be created locally. Contact us if you want to upload to the NHS England Terminology Server.
Read guidance on authoring FHIR terminology resources including creating, changing and managing access.
Optimise searches
The order that search results appear matters. This video explains why.
Video: Order search results and use the Boost function
The NHS England Terminology Server includes a smart search to support this.
If you need to tailor results for your users, you can use the Boost function.
Last edited: 26 May 2026 12:44 pm