CONSULTANT CODE

A code uniquely identifying a CONSULTANT.

The CONSULTANT CODE is derived from either the GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER for GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS, or the GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL REGISTRATION NUMBER for GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONERS (where the Dentist doesn't have a GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER).

For GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS working as CONSULTANTS, the GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONER's GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER should be used, see data item note for GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONER (SPECIFIED).

For GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONERS working as a:

• Hospital CONSULTANT, the GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER should be used, prefixed with "C"
• Dental CONSULTANT:
  • Who does not have a GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER, the GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL REGISTRATION NUMBER should be used, prefixed with "CD".
  • Where the GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER or GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL REGISTRATION NUMBER is not known, the default code should be used, see CONSULTANT CODE or Organisation Data Service Default Codes.

See the Organisation Data Service pages of the NHS England website at:

• Organisation Data Service: Secondary Care for further information
• ODS Data Search and Export to access CONSULTANT CODES (click on Reports on the top menu, click on the down arrow next to "Select from a list of Predefined Reports", scroll down to Practitioner Reports: econcur (English Hospital Consultants) or edconcur (English Dental Consultants), click the search button and the information will be displayed).

For NHS PATIENTS treated overseas, the commissioner of the overseas treatment is responsible for assuring that the overseas doctor is provided with a GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER. In the case of overseas doctors, the default code C9999998 should only be used where no GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL REFERENCE NUMBER has been assigned.

For Commissioning Data Set version 6-2, default CONSULTANT CODES are used to identify ACTIVITY which is led by a NURSE, MIDWIFE or ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. See CONSULTANT CODE for the default codes.

For Commissioning Data Set version 6-3 onwards, CONSULTANT CODE is replaced by PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION ENTRY IDENTIFIER, which allows submission of the actual PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION code for NURSES, MIDWIVES and ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, as well as CONSULTANTS.