What Is My Health and Care Number?

Your Health and Care Number, often called your H+C number or HCN, is your unique patient identification number in Northern Ireland.

It is used by Health and Social Care services in Northern Ireland to help correctly identify you and match you to your health records. It is similar to the NHS number used in England.  

Why Is Your H+C Number Important?

Having your H+C number can help when you are:

• Completing self-referral forms
• Registering for online health services
• Attending hospital appointments
• Checking hospital letters
• Applying for HSC services
• Contacting community health services
• Completing forms for physiotherapy, maternity, podiatry, continence services, dental services, screening services or My Care
• Using the correct H+C number helps services find your records more quickly and reduces the risk of delays or duplicate records.

Where Can I Find My H+C Number?

Before contacting the surgery, please check:

• Hospital appointment letters
• HSC clinic letters
• Previous prescription slips
• Medical card, if you have one
• Blood test or investigation forms
• Hospital discharge letters
• My Care or other HSC digital documents

Your H+C number is usually a 10-digit number. It may be shown as “H+C number”, “HCN”, “Health and Care Number” or “Health & Care Number”.

Please Check Your Own Documents First

Kensington Medical Centre asks patients to check their own HSC letters, documents and previous prescriptions before contacting reception.

Reception staff are very busy supporting urgent patient care. Finding your H+C number yourself can help reduce phone pressure and allow the practice team to support patients who need medical help.

How Your H+C Number Can Speed Things Up

Your H+C number can make it easier for HSC services to:

• Confirm your identity
• Match you to your correct medical record
• Process referrals
• Avoid duplicate records
• Reduce delays with self-referral forms
• Link hospital and community records correctly
• This is especially useful when using self-referral services, where you may be asked to provide your H+C number on the form.
• Self-Referral Services Where It May Be Useful

Your H+C number may be useful when accessing:

1. Physiotherapy self-referral
2. Maternity services
3. Podiatry services
4. Continence services
5. Dental services
6. Hospital appointments
7. Screening services
8. My Care Northern Ireland
9. Community health services
10. My Care allows people in Northern Ireland to access parts of their medical record online, including medications, appointments and some test results.  

Do I Need My H+C Number to Get Healthcare?

You should not be refused urgent healthcare because you do not know your H+C number.

However, having it ready can make forms, referrals and appointments much easier.