NHS Postcode Directory

The NHS Postcode Directory (NHSPD) relates both current and terminated POSTCODES in the United Kingdom to a range of current statutory administrative, electoral, health and other area geographies. It also links POSTCODES to pre-2002 health areas, 1991 Census enumeration districts (for England and Wales) and both 2001 Census and 2011 Census output areas and super output areas. It helps support the production of area based statistics from postcoded data.

The NHS Postcode Directory is produced by ONS Geography, who provide geographic support to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and geographic services used by other organisations.

The NHS Postcode Directory  is issued quarterly.

The NHS Postcode Directory User Guide contains information about the NHS Postcode Directory including:

• directory content

• data currency

• the methodology for assigning areas to POSTCODES

• standard names and codes and

• data quality and limitations.

A set of Version Notes accompanies each quarterly release of the NHS Postcode Directory. These contain a range of summary statistics and highlight important issues that may affect customers. The Version Notes provide information about postcode reorganisations, administrative and electoral area changes, the introduction of new methodologies and/or geographies and limitations that are specific to a particular release of the NHS Postcode Directory.

The "NHS Postcode Directory User Guide" can be downloaded from:

• Technology Reference Update Distribution (TRUD) and

• The Organisation Data Service  pages on the  NHS England  website at: Office of National Statistics data: Complete Gridlink NHS Postcode.