Oct 30 2002
 

By The Journal

Little Beth Atkinson's birth - at three minutes past midnight yesterday - made medical history.

Beth, who came into the world at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, became the first baby in the country to be given an NHS "lifelong" identification number.

The unique nine-digit reference number will stay with Beth for the rest of her life - the key to her clinical history and a complete record of every visit she makes to her doctor, every vaccination she's given and every illness she contracts.

Proud parents, Caroline and Robert are both nurses and know their 7lb 15oz youngster marks the start of a major new initiative that will change the face of the NHS and the way that people's health records are compiled.

Launched at maternity and child health units across England and Wales, the scheme - called NHS Numbers for Babies - is to reduce the risk of mistakes and lost records during the first few months of a baby's life.

Until yesterday, babies have had to wait several weeks for their registration number to come through from the registrar of births and deaths.

During that time the child may have undergone tests and treatment in different locations, had their name changed or changed address.

The new system gives the baby a unique ID number, helping to ensure that personal records are consistent and universally available to NHS staff from day one.

For Caroline, a cancer nurse with the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment, and Robert, a psychiatric nurse at the RVI, Beth's number was the last thing on their mind as they cradled their new daughter, a sister for 20-month-old Megan, at their home in Kingston Park, Newcastle.

Caroline says she fully supports the new scheme.

She said: "I think it's a really good thing they are doing, ensuring every baby has a number from birth. I know how important it is to have a patient's full medical details in front of you and to start collecting that information together from the moment a child is born is vital."

Prior to the introduction of the new scheme, the information gathered about babies from different organisations could not be linked.

This is because the information collected was specific to particular Trusts, different centres assigning different numbers so there was no "common currency" between them.

Liz Gaffing, operational services manager for women's services for the Newcastle Hospitals Trust, said: "The numbers are given out in numerical order.

"The system basically prevents any mistakes and is an extra reassurance for parents that their baby will be given the best and most appropriate care."

A child's details often change in their first few weeks. Data collected by the Department of Health showed that in one hospital, 80pc of the babies born there changed their surname within the first six weeks. Typically the figure is 30pc.

Other information collected in the first few months of a baby's life include:

* details about labour and delivery

* the child's health immediately after birth

* prescriptions

* neonatal screening

* visits by the midwife and health visitors

Martin Weller, a spokesman for the Information Authority, said: "The new system provides additional safeguards in the key early stages of a child's life and ensures that a comprehensive health record is available wherever and whenever it is needed."

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