Terminology and Classifications

National standards for recording and categorising information to support care delivery, statistical analysis, research and the reimbursement of health and care providers. Sub-services include OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures (OPCS-4), International Classification of Diseases (ICD), SNOMED CT, dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d) and the National Interim Clinical Imaging Procedure (NICIP) code set.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) response and changes to terminology releases

Changes have been made to the release cycle for the UK SNOMED CT Clinical Edition in order to respond quickly to the recording needs in the health and care records.

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Read the COVID-19 and Information Standards

Regular updates on clinical guidance, terms available that relate to COVID-19 in a single diagram, SNOMED CT releases, ICD-10 and OPCS-4 are brought together.

Work together and share on Delen

Use our Delen site to reach product documents, databases and tools. Access latest news, developments, opportunities and publications, plus education, training and exam information. Search the Resource Library for specific items, like the Coding Clinic.

Download e-learning, technical files and documentation from our TRUD download website

which allows NHS Digital to license and distribute reference data.

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If you’re looking for the latest news and resources, visit Delen.

To contact us, email [email protected].

If you're looking for content that we used to host, visit the National Archives website.

If you're a patient, visit NHS.UK.

Further information

UK Medicines Terminology Futures

We are making a series of changes to the two digital terminologies used in health and care to improve efficiency and patient safety.

Building healthcare software - clinical coding, classifications and terminology

A non-technical guide to building software that deals with clinical coding, classifications and terminology within the NHS in England.

OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures (OPCS-4)

A UK statistical classification of interventions and procedures. It's used for national statistics in the 4 constituent countries of the UK.

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

A World Health Organization statistical classification and the global standard for diagnostic health information. It's used for morbidity and mortality statistics in the 4 constituent countries of the UK.

National Interim Clinical Imaging Procedure (NICIP) Code Set

The NICIP code set enables accurate ordering of medical procedures and direct commissioning of services.

SNOMED CT

SNOMED CT is a structured clinical vocabulary for use in an electronic health record. It is the most comprehensive and precise clinical health terminology product in the world.

dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d)

dm+d is a dictionary of descriptions and codes which represent medicines and devices in use across the NHS. It must be used when electronic systems exchange or share information about medicines relating directly to a patient's care.

Terminology and Classifications news

Subscribe to our Terminology and Classifications news for latest updates about our products and services, information about SNOMED CT implementation and release updates, SNOMED International developments, and career opportunities.

Terminology and classifications: GDPR information

How and why we process your data within Terminology and Classification systems, and your rights.

Last edited: 5 March 2024 1:14 pm