SNOMED CT
SNOMED CT is the information standard for clinical terminology; it is an international standard published by SNOMED International providing a global common language for health terms.
About this standard
- Owner
- NHS Digital
- Status
- Active
Show definitions of statuses
Active standards are stable, maintained and have been assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.
Standards in development are APIs or API standards in alpha or beta, meaning they are available for use but are still in progress and may change.
Deprecated standards are older versions of a standard which are being phased out.
Retired standards are not being maintained and should not be used.
- Standard type
- Data definitions and terminologies
Show definitions of standard types
Record standards define what information to collect and how to format it, for example when registering a new patient.
Data definitions and terminologies define the format of individual data items so they can be consistently represented, for example dates or medication names. Reference sets and controlled lists are also included.
Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.
Information codes of practice are legal or best practice guidelines on how information should be handled.
- Contact details
- standards.assurance@nhs.net
Link to standard
- Documentation
- View documentation for this standardopens in a new tab
(opens in new tab)
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Clinical decision support
- Key care information
- Prescribing
- Vaccination
- Messaging
- Reference data
- Tests and diagnostics
- Care setting
- Community health
- Dentistry
- Hospital
- Maternity
- Mental health
- Pharmacy
- GP / Primary care
- Urgent and Emergency Care
Dependencies and related standards
- Dependencies
NHS Digital SNOMED CT Browser - this online browser contains the SNOMED CT International release, the UK Clinical Extension, the UK Drug Extension, and the UK Pathology Extension.
- Related standards
Assurance and endorsements
- Reference code for standards issued as requirements in England
- SCCI0034
- Quality assurance
This standard has been approved by the Standardisation committee for care information (legacy) and published as an information standard notice (ISN).
- Endorsements
Not applicable
Page last updated: 22 November 2022