FOI-03607

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

##Request 

<p><i>‘Please treat this as a FOI but if it can be managed through general data requests please redirect it to the correct contact.</i></p>

<p><i>I have previously requested the attached data - see excel.</i></p>

<p><i>I would like to obtain the current data for:</i></p>

<p><i>1. Liothyronine</i></p>

<p><i>2. Patient numbers</i></p>

<p><i>3. ICB segment</i></p>

<p><i>4. As at the last reported period (I am not sure if this is annual, quarterly or month report) and for the prior reported period.</i></p>

<p><i>5. Gender split’</i></p>

Previous FOI - https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-29934  

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 15 February 2026.  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

##Our response 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached. 

Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data. 

##NHSBSA 

NHS Prescription Services process prescriptions for Pharmacy Contractors, Appliance Contractors, Dispensing Doctors and Personal Administration with information then used to make payments to pharmacists and appliance contractors in England for prescriptions dispensed in primary care settings (other arrangements are in place for making payments to Dispensing Doctors and Personal Administration). This involves processing over 1 billion prescription items and payments totalling over £9 billion each year. The information gathered from this process is then used to provide information on costs and trends in prescribing in England and Wales to over 25,000 registered NHS and Department of Health and Social Care users.  

##Data Source: ePACT2  

Data in ePACT2 is sourced from the NHSBSA Data Warehouse and is derived from products prescribed on prescriptions and dispensed in the Community. The data captured from prescription processing is used to calculate reimbursement and remuneration. It includes items prescribed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Guernsey / Alderney, Jersey, and Isle of Man which have been dispensed in the community in England. English prescribing that has been dispensed in Wales, Scotland, Guernsey / Alderney, Jersey, and Isle of Man is also included.  

The Data excludes:   

• Items not dispensed, disallowed and those returned to the contractor for further clarification.   

• Prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in Prisons, Hospitals and Private prescriptions.  

• Items prescribed but not presented for dispensing or not submitted to NHS Prescription Services by the dispenser.  

##Time Period 

November and December 2025 (aggregated monthly). Last two reporting periods.  

##Data 

The dataset is limited to those items prescribed and dispensed in England and shows the prescribing ICB.  

##BNF Code 

The BNF Code is a 15-digit code in which the first seven digits are allocated according to the categories in the BNF, and the last 8 digits represent the medicinal product, form, strength and the link to the generic equivalent product. NHS Prescription Services has created pseudo BNF chapters, which are not published, for items not included in BNF chapters 1 to 15. Most of these items are dressings and appliances which NHS Prescription Services has classified into four pseudo BNF chapters (20 to 23).  

##Gender 

Patient gender has been reported using the latest patient gender information held by the NHSBSA Information Services data warehouse at the time that the data was extracted. This uses information from either the most recent Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) message or from the last time that NHSBSA received data about the patient's gender from NHS Personal Demographics Service.      

Gender is either: Male, Female, Not Known (where no information is held) or Indeterminate (where information is held which does not confirm either Male or Female). 

##Patient Identification 

Where patient identifiable figures have been reported they are based on the information captured during the prescription processing activities.  Please note, patient details cannot be captured from every prescription form and based on the criteria used for this analysis, patient information (age and gender) was only available for 98.55% of prescription items.  

##Data Queries 

Please contact <a href=mailto:foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. 

##Reusing the data and copyright 

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact <a href=mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. 

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.

Tags: Liothyronine, NHS Prescriptions
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log