Been given NHS number - confused

[jlgsy94]

Not sure if I am posting/asking this in the right section but here goes.

I am a Danish national who have been living in Guernsey, Channel Islands for the past 12 years, and am currently 31 weeks pregnant with 4th baby. Due to baby having Spina Bifida I will be having my C-section at Princess Anne in Southampton.

At my last appointment at the hospital (28 weeks), they did a "booking appointment" after the growth scan so that all my details would be on their systems. When the specialist midwife gave me the printout of the paperwork, I noticed two things; a hospital number, and underneath that an NHS number.

I thought you had to live on mainland UK and registered with a GP there to be given an NHS number? Can someone clarify what this might mean and if say I can go to the GP following the birth should I become ill or whatever?

I think it's mandatory for everyone treated by NHS to get a number.

It's odd, really, given how difficult it is for NHS organisations to share information with each other. Why bother to pretend they can track patients? But they do.

I don't know about the wider entitlement possibilities, sorry. All a mess with Brexit, anyway.

The NHS number is an identifier. It's nothing to do with entitlement.

As above, the NHS number isn't an entitlement to anything.
It's just another way to track you/your notes on the system.

This leaflet explains about off-island treatment. Because it's an agreement between the NHS and Guernsey for funded care, you're treated as if you're a NHS patient, AFAIK. Have they talked to you about travel grants, etc.? I used to work for a hospital that they refer to and did a couple of post- treatment repatriation flights to Guernsey and Jersey.