Personal Demographics Service - HL7 V3 API

Overview

Use this API to access the Personal Demographics Service (PDS), the national electronic database of NHS patient details such as name, address, date of birth, related people, registered GP and NHS number.

You can:

search for patients

check that you have the correct NHS number for a patient

get patient details

create a new record for a birth

receive birth notifications - although another option is PDS Notifications FHIR API

create a record for a new patient (except for GPs - see below)

You should not use this API to create a new record when registering a new patient at a GP Practice. Instead, use National Health Application and Infrastructure Services (NHAIS).

You can retrieve current and historical demographic information for a patient including:

NHS number

name

gender

birth information

address

contact details

registered GP

preferred pharmacy

consent information

related people, such as next of kin

death information

Spine Mini Service Provider (SMSP) options

There are also commercially available products which give easier access to PDS, known as Spine Mini Service Providers (SMSPs).

These and other conforming software products are listed in our Conformance Catalogue.

If you are interested in becoming a provider of one of these products, see Personal Demographics Service - SMSP API standards.

A healthcare worker must be present and authenticated with an NHS smartcard or a modern alternative to use this API.

Documentation

Personal Demographics Service - HL7 V3 API documentation

Endpoint

https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/api-catalogue/personal-demographics-service-hl7-v3

Contact

https://digital.nhs.uk/developer/help-and-support