National Back Office

What is the National Back Office?

The National Back Office (NBO) is an NHS England organisation that provides a national data quality service for the Personal Demographics Service (PDS). 

It is responsible for the management of NHS Numbers and PDS records, investigation and resolution of data quality incidents on the PDS.  

Management of NHS Numbers and PDS Records 

Examples of this include: 

• Changes of Identity – Management of PDS records in cases of adoption, gender re-assignment. 
• Restricting access to patient’s PDS record (set Sensitive or ‘S’ flag) – Restricts access to geographical location information on patients PDS records.  
• NHS number allocations – allocating NHS numbers for patients in certain scenarios. 
• Civil registrations – investigate and update patient records when data regarding civil births or deaths cannot be processed automatically.  

Investigation and Resolution of Data Quality Incidents 

Examples of this include: 

• Duplicate NHS Numbers - Merging PDS records together where it is identified a single patient has more than one NHS number. 
• Confused records – Where information related to another patient has corrupted a patients PDS record, this may include being registered to the incorrect GP Practice. 
• Incorrect demographic data – Administrative errors such as the incorrect gender or date of birth recorded against a patient. 
• Incorrect death status – Removing these where a patient has been incorrectly recorded as deceased in PDS. 

To find out more, please visit the NBO’s website.

PCSE and the National Back Office

PCSE work with the NBO to support the investigation and resolution of many of the processes outlined above.  

When GP practices inform PCSE of data quality incidents, PCSE will obtain and collate all the required information to enable the NBO to correct the patient’s, or multiple patients' PDS records. This may require PCSE contacting one or more practices for additional information before a case is raised to the NBO. 

To prevent delays in resolution, we encourage practices to provide as much information as possible when raising an incident.

Once PCSE have logged a case with NBO, PCSE does not have influence over timelines for resolution. It can take NBO up to 10 weeks to resolve Duplicate and Confused NHS numbers. Once a resolution from the NBO is received, PCSE will respond back to the practice confirming and providing any additional actions that may be required, including but not limited to re-registering patients, or correcting medical records.  

PCSE also acts as liaison between the NBO and a patient's GP practice in cases such as adoptions or where data quality incidents are raised by other health care providers. In these cases, practices may not be aware their patient is subject to a change to their PDS record. PCSE will contact the practice to inform them of any follow on actions and provide any relevant advice regarding the management of medical record information.