Postcode of Usual Address

Change History
DSCN 2025 / 01	Audiology Wait Times Data Set
DSCN 2024 / 12	Welsh Emergency Care Data Set
DSCN 2022 / 06	Main Specialty (Consultant) (AMD)
DSCN 2020 / 31	National Cancer Data Standards for Wales – Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT)
DSCN 2020 / 28	Suspected Cancer Pathway – Core (AMD)
DSCN 2020 / 21	Single Cancer Pathway - Core
DSCN 2019 / 09	National Cancer Data Standards for Wales – Core
DSCN 2016 / 02	Maternity Indicators Data Set
DSCN 2015 / 03	Radiotherapy Data Set
DSCN 2012 / 11	Elective Admission List Data Set (EAL Ds)
DSCN 2009 / 09	NHS Reforms: NHS Wales Data Definition Update
DSCN (2009) 02 (W)	Emergency Department Data Set
DSCN (2007) 06 (W)	Amendments to Data Items; 'Patients Usual Address', 'Postcode of Usual Address' and 'Birth Date'.

This data item is / was included in the following data sets / collections between the dates shown:

Data Set / Collection	Valid From	Valid To
APC ds99	1^st April 1999
EAL ds	1^st April 1999	21^st November 2012
OP ds	1^st April 1999
CC ds	1^st April 2007
OPR ds	1^st July 2008
EDDS	1^st April 2009
RTDS	1^st April 2014
MI ds	1^st April 2016
SCPC ds	1^st January 2021
National Cancer Ds – Core
National Cancer Ds - SACT
WECDS	1^st August 2024
AUD WT ds	1^st April 2025

The code assigned by Royal Mail to identify postal delivery areas across the United Kingdom.

This is the usual address

• (in the SCPC ds) for the patient at the Pathway Start Date (Point of Suspicion of Cancer)

• (in every other data set listed above) nominated by the patient at the time of admission or attendance

Format: 8 character alpha-numeric. This allows a space to be inserted to differentiate between the inward and outward segments of the code, enabling full use to be made of the Royal Mail postcode functionality.

Organisation Data Service rules apply.

If a patient has no fixed abode, this should be recorded with the appropriate code (ZZ99 3VZ).

For overseas visitors, the postcode field must show the relevant country pseudo postcode commencing ZZ99, plus spaces followed by a numeric, then an alpha character, then a Z. For example, ZZ99 6CZ is the pseudo-postcode for India. Pseudo-postcodes can be found in the NHS Postcode Directory.

See Postcode

(PEDW (Prior to April 1999), Psychiatric Census)

The postcode applied to the usual address nominated by the patient at the time of admission or attendance, using rules supplied above and those in the NHS Postcode User Directory.

Format: 8 character alpha-numeric. The 5^th position is always blank (Δ) and possibly the 3^rd and 4^th characters may be blank also.

See Postcode