How Can you register with a GP, without knowing your NHS number?

cannugec5

Please don’t judge. I’m looking for practical help. 

My brother (in England) moved home about 10 years ago. He never was one to engage with medical professionals, and has a severe needle phobia. He never informed his old GP practice that he was moving and has never registered with a new one at his new address. I suspect the routine screening invitations being ignored, and no contact for so many years have eventually led to him being removed from the surgery patient list. 

I have tried to persuade him that he really should get the COVID vaccination ( he is 59), and finally he is starting to concede . However he finds he cannot book online, nor register as a new patient with his local GP without knowing his NHS number. He cannot find out his NHS number as the previous surgery no longer recognise him. He has no letters or anything. 

I am at a loss of how to help him. The NHS Site is decidedly unhelpful, simply saying the number is on any correspondence. But he has nothing. 

Does anyone know where this number can be found? I just know if it becomes too difficult for him he will simply not get the vaccination . 

Browntoa

Are they still registered with a dentist ? 

They may have it 

Batesy1976

Has he tried www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/find-nhs-number/ ?

becky_rtw

There's a find your number service:
https://www.nhs.uk/find-nhs-number/what-is-your-name
If that helps at all? 

cannugec5

Browntoa said:

Are they still registered with a dentist ? 

They may have it 

Thanks for the suggestion, but no he is not registered with an NHS dentist. 

cannugec5

Batesy1976 said:

Has he tried www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/find-nhs-number/ ?

I tried that. It only works if you are still registered with a GP. 

cannugec5

becky_rtw said:

There's a find your number service:
https://www.nhs.uk/find-nhs-number/what-is-your-name
If that helps at all? 

Thanks, but no. That links to the same one that Batesy suggested. If you are not registered with a doctor it can’t help. 

Interestingly on that site it states you don’t need your NHS number to register. However his local surgery will not even consider applications for new registrations without the number. 

And he can’t bypass the GP and register for the vaccine himself without the number. 

Personally I hoard documents, and file them meticulously. But he never was good with paperwork! 

becky_rtw

Just was looking at this based on your follow up and I think it should be possible to register for the GP without a number. Probably have to be done on the phone. Not everyone knows theirs so often the GP can tell someone once they are registered.
This is London but suggests it is possible to do it that way: https://myhealth.london.nhs.uk/help/how-do-i-find-my-nhs-number/ 

becky_rtw

He may have to go a surgery further afield if the local won't do it.
I didn't use mine when I registered at my GPS. 

JGB1955

I didn't know I had a new NHS number until a recent letter received about my Covid jab. Turns out that my 1980's medical card showing LLLNNN (letter/number) is a total red herring.

cannugec5

becky_rtw said:

Just was looking at this based on your follow up and I think it should be possible to register for the GP without a number. Probably have to be done on the phone. Not everyone knows theirs so often the GP can tell someone once they are registered.
This is London but suggests it is possible to do it that way: https://myhealth.london.nhs.uk/help/how-do-i-find-my-nhs-number/ 

Thanks for that. It looks a lot more flexible than the approach offered by his nearest surgery. I will suggest he just does it without the number.