# The `nhs-number` Python package collaboration - Background **Category:** [nhs-number](https://openhealthhub.org/c/nhs-number/56) **Created:** 2023-05-25 15:58 UTC **Views:** 435 **Replies:** 1 **URL:** https://openhealthhub.org/t/the-nhs-number-python-package-collaboration-background/2700 --- ## Post #1 by @pacharanero At at early 2023, a search of PyPi and GitHub showed that number of separate repositories existed which all either validated NHS Numbers, or generated NHS Numbers for testing purposes (which inherently requires validating them anyway) We decided that we would try to 'reverse-fork' this panoply of different solutions and come up with a single, well tested, performant, canonical library. The best existing candidate was selected as @andy.law 's existing [NhsNumberChecks](https://github.com/andylaw/NhsNumberChecks) GitHub repository, and this was transferred across to the ownership of the Faculty Of Clinical Informatics via their [GitHub organisation](https://github.com/uk-fci), and was renamed to `nhs-number` for simplicity and consistency with the name of the PyPi package https://pypi.org/project/nhs-number/ ## Existing NHS Number packages/repos (Python) * and * * * * * ## Other references and related discussions elsewhere * https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/contact-us/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-disclosure-log/december-2022/nic-690159-k8h4z * https://forum.red-gate.com/discussion/10953/trying-to-generate-on-the-fly-nhs-numbers-for-my-uat-server * https://discourse.digitalhealth.net/t/nhs-number-generator-website/22712/9 --- ## Post #2 by @spdegabrielle This is a great contribution! The documentation is excellent - and this is the most important thing for me. I don't use Python, but I may use this for testing. best Stephen --- **Canonical:** https://openhealthhub.org/t/the-nhs-number-python-package-collaboration-background/2700 **Original content:** https://openhealthhub.org/t/the-nhs-number-python-package-collaboration-background/2700