NHSPD: UK Postcode to Administrative and Health Geography Lookup

The NHS Postcode Directory (NHSPD) relates current and terminated UK postcodes to statutory administrative, electoral, health, and other geographies. It links postcodes to pre-2002 health areas and 2001, 2011, and 2021 Census Output Areas and Super Output Areas. The directory is issued quarterly and includes data on Cancer Alliances from 2024 onward.

Use Cases

• Mapping health outcomes to local administrative units based on patient postcode.
• Aggregating survey data to electoral wards or parliamentary constituencies using postcode linkage.
• Analyzing historical health service provision by linking to pre-2002 health area codes.
• Conducting small-area demographic analysis by linking postcodes to Census Output Areas.
• Planning cancer service delivery by utilizing the included 2024 Cancer Alliances geography.

Strengths

• Includes both current and terminated postcodes, supporting longitudinal analysis.
• Links to a wide range of geographies, including administrative, electoral, health, and census boundaries.
• Updated quarterly, providing regular snapshots of geographic relationships.

Limitations

• Column names and a precise row count are not provided in the available metadata.
• Sources conflict on the specific census years covered, with some mentioning 2001/2011 and others adding 2021.
• The exact license terms are not specified, only that the product contains multiple Intellectual Property Rights.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service (UK)

Collection Method

Compiled from sources including Royal Mail, Gridlink, LPS (Northern Ireland), Ordnance Survey, and ONS.

Time Range

Covers postcodes and geographies up to May 2026, with historical links to pre-2002 health areas.

Freshness

The most recent dataset version referenced is for May 2026.

Geography

United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland).