§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the numbers of any NHS medical cards; and what will be the cost of the changes.
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§ Mr. SackvilleBy July 1995, we will have started to replace the present national health service number where it is currently in use with one with a more suitable format. Medical cards will record the replacement number when they are reissued after this date.
The number is being replaced as part of a wider programme to make the new format number the common patient identifier for the NHS. The costs of this programme are estimated at £22 million at today's prices, over the period 1992 to 1995.