The implementation of SNOMED CT is mandated by law (Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, issued on 2 November 2016).

Secondary care, acute care, mental health, community systems, dentistry and other systems used
in direct patient care must use SNOMED CT as the clinical terminology by 1 April 2020.

SNOMED will become a mandatory requirement for NHS codes on 1st September 2021.

Secondary care, acute care, mental health, community systems, dentistry and other systems used in direct patient care must use SNOMED CT as the clinical terminology. EXACT supports this functionality, but it requires some configuration and understanding to use.

You should be able to continue charting your regular services as normal, but you will need to make sure that they have been mapped to SNOMED codes. In cases where more than one SNOMED code may apply and a default code has not been selected you will be prompted to choose from a list of available codes when you chart.

Enabling SNOMED

SNOMED CT was introduced into EXACT 13.82, it can easily be enabled/disabled within EXACT. While this is currently only mandated for NHS England region practices, it can be enabled in other NHS regions if desired.

1. Configure - Practice settings.
2. Locate the NHS section, tick the box Enable SNOMED.
3. You will now need to close EXACT and log back in to access full SNOMED functionality.

Requirement on NHS treatment

SNOMED is only be requested when charting NHS courses of treatment. Providers can still add SNOMED codes to other treatment, but this is outside the normal workflow.

If your practice wants to be prompted to apply SNOMED codes to non NHS treatments this can be enabled by changing an internal EXACT setting.

1. Configure - Settings.
2. Search for snomed.NHSonly.
3. Double-click the matching setting, change the value to '0'.

Configuring SNOMED

EXACT has a reduced set of SNOMED codes that the NHS Business Services Authority indicated would be required as a minimum. The list been extended a little to cover other common dental services and observations. Where possible these codes have been mapped by the Software of Excellence team to the standard list of codes that are shipped with a new install of EXACT. It is up to each dental practice to satisfy themselves that this mapping is correct, and that they are happy with any SNOMED codes linked to a charted service by default. Each practice must also go through any services that you regularly chart that are not in the standard list and add appropriate SNOMED codes.

1. Configure - Services.
2. Select the service you wish to edit, open the edit window by double-clicking or clicking the i button.
3. Click Configure SNOMED.
4. This will open the SNOMED Service Configuration window.
   If the service is linked to any SNOMED codes, these will be displayed as per the first image below, if not a list of all available SNOMED codes will be displayed with the option to Add displayed beside the code.
   

For more information on configuring and adding SNOMED codes to services, including adding new SNOMED codes to EXACT, please read Configuring SNOMED CT.

Charting with SNOMED CT

Due to the extent of information, charting with SNOMED CT is contained in this article, Charting with SNOMED CT.

Common FAQs

These FAQ’s have been generated by questions asked by practices. If you have any further questions about how to use SNOMED in EXACT please start a Live Chat with the EXACT support team.

More information about SNOMED CT can be found on the General Dental Council website here.

• When does SNOMED go live?
  English NHS practices have been advised to begin using SNOMED mapped service codes from a new start date of 01/09/2021. We are still waiting for official confirmation for other regions.
• What version of EXACT do I need to use SNOMED?
  Any version from EXACT 13.82 includes SNOMED and the pre-mapped default service codes.
• Do I have to re-base chart every patient?
  The DSSA has not been able to obtain an answer to this question.
  Note: codes in the reduced SNOMED CT reference set relate only to treatment.
• How much work will this be?
  There is upfront work required to map EXACT codes to SNOMED CT codes and check the pre-mapped default EXACT codes. If all SNOMED codes for that service item are set as default then there will be nothing to do for these services, however, further “clicks” will be required for “One to Many” mapped items whilst treating patients.
• Where can I get a copy of the reduced SNOMED CT reference set?
  The reduced list of the SNOMED codes & descriptions for Dental related services can be found on the NHSBSA website
  
• Can I be sure the reduced SNOMED CT reference set that DSSA members are using is acceptable?
  No.  You need to satisfy yourself you are using an appropriate reference set.  The DSSA continues to press various authorities and industry bodies for a definitive statement on the SNOMED CT reference code set that should be used in UK dentistry.
• I am fully private. Do I need to adopt SNOMED CT?
  The DSSA’s understanding is that this change relates only to NHS patients but you should seek to satisfy yourself that this is correct.
• If an NHS patient receives some private care do I need to apply SNOMED CT codes to private charted items?
  The DSSA has been unable to obtain a firm answer to this question.  If the answer is yes, this will mean you need to ensure your private codes have SNOMED CT codes applied.
• Do I have to keep my codes up-to-date?
  Yes
• Where can I get a copy of the full SNOMED CT reference set (311,000 codes)?
  The official SNOMED website