The OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures (OPCS-4) is a Fundamental Information Standard which is revised periodically. The classification is used by Health Care Providers and national and regional ORGANISATIONS.
OPCS-4 is used to support operational and strategic planning, resource utilisation, performance management, reimbursement, research and epidemiology. It is used by NHS suppliers to build/update software to support NHS business functions and interoperability.
The classification consists of two volumes; Tabular List and Alphabetical Index. It is accessible in the Classifications Browser at https://classbrowser.nhs.uk which also contains links to the National Clinical Coding Standards.
The classification is also available for purchase in paper format from The Stationary Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk
National information standards and data collections, such as Commissioning Data Sets requiring OPCS-4 coding should use the latest mandated version of the OPCS-4 as given in the table below:
| Year | Version of OPCS-4* |
| Up to 31 March 2006 | OPCS-4.2 |
| 01-Apr-2006 to 31-Mar-2007 | OPCS-4.3 |
| 01-Apr-2007 to 31-Mar-2009 | OPCS-4.4 |
| 01-Apr-2009 to 31-Mar-2011 | OPCS-4.5 |
| 01-Apr-2011 to 31-Mar-2014 | OPCS-4.6 |
| 01-Apr-2014 to 31-Mar-2017 | OPCS-4.7 |
| 01-Apr-2017 to 31-Mar-2020 | OPCS-4.8 |
| 01-Apr-2020 to 31-Mar-2023 | OPCS-4.9 |
| 01-Apr-2023 until further notification | OPCS-4.10 |
*Tables of Coding Equivalences are issued for mapping back to previous versions and are available from Technology Reference Update Distribution (TRUD).
For further information see the NHS England website at: Terminology and Classifications.
OPCS-4 Requests Portal
The OPCS-4 Requests Portal allows stakeholders to submit change requests to the Terminology and Classifications Delivery Service all year round. A cut-off date for receipt of change requests for consideration in the next release is published on the Requests Portal. Requests received after the cut-off date will be considered in a subsequent release.
For further information and access to the OPCS-4 Requests Portal, see the NHS England website at: Clinical Classifications.
High Cost Drugs and Chemotherapy Regimens
The listings of High Cost Drugs and Chemotherapy Regimens which are mapped to OPCS-4 codes are provided as look-up tables downloadable from Delen at Publications & Resources.
