How to create a Birth Notification

Babies born in England, Wales and the Isle of Man are given a unique NHS number when a Birth Notification is created. This is the same NHS number that they will have for life and can be used to find their patient record.

Creating a Birth Notification also:

• fulfils legal requirements to notify a birth within 36 hours
• notifies health and care organisations that will support the infant’s care
• notifies the Office for National Statistics to maintain population statistics

There are two ways to create a Birth Notification:

1. From the mother’s record – this links the child to the mother and is the most common way to create a Birth Notification.
2. Not linked to the mother’s record – this is how a Birth Notification should be created in cases where the mother is not known or should not be linked to the baby.

Only roles with role-based access control (RBAC) code R8016 can create a Birth Notification and view existing Birth Notifications.

1. Search for the mother’s record.
2. When you are in the mother’s record, select ‘Create a Birth Notification’ under the ‘Patient’ tab. 
   As you are creating the Birth Notification, some fields will already be populated with the mother’s details and your details. You can edit this information if you need to.
3. You will need to add details of the birth, including:
   • delivery place type and details
   • place of birth
   • associated child health unit (also known as Partner Child Health Unit)

When you have completed the Birth Notification details, double-check it before you submit because the information can’t be edited once it has been saved.

4. Save the Birth Notification. On the next screen you will see the baby's NHS number which would have been created automatically.

If the mother does not have an NHS number

If the mother does not have an NHS number or a patient record, you can allocate an NHS number for her. You can then follow the steps to create a Birth Notification from the mother’s record as normal. This will mean that the child’s and mother’s records are linked. 

How to allocate an NHS number

If you have tried multiple search methods and cannot find the mother’s record, you can allocate an NHS number for her.

1. After an unsuccessful search for the mother’s record, there will be an option to allocate an NHS number from the empty search results page.
2. If you select the option to allocate an NHS number, you will be able to fill in the mother’s details. Some of the fields will be pre-populated based on the information you have been searching for. 
3. When you submit, you will be able to create a Birth Notification for the baby from the mother’s record.

1. At first, you should still try to find the mother in NCRS. If there are no matches to your search criteria you entered, there will be an option to create a Birth Notification without using a mother’s NHS Number. Following this process will take you through the screens to create a Birth Notification but without a banner that contains the mother’s details.
2. You still will need to enter the mother’s demographic details in this process but you will not need to enter her NHS number. 
3. Save the Birth Notification. An NHS number will be created for the baby but there will be no link between the mother’s and baby’s records. 

You can also search for existing Birth Notifications by navigating to the 'List birth notifications' link in the top menu. 

You can search for Birth Notifications by:

• date range of when the notification was created 
• the organisation that the notification is associated with
• the baby's NHS number
• the baby's date of birth, or a date range for their date of birth
• the mother's NHS number
• the mother's date of birth