FOI-02722

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

##Request 

You asked us: 

‘I am looking for the following data under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  

1. Please can you update this FOI request https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-02360 (FOI-02360) with data up to the end of March 2025. 

2. Please can you provide the same/comparable data for NHS prescriptions for January, February and March 2025 as this is not publicly available.’ 

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on Tuesday 1 April 2025.  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. 

##Our response 

I can confirm that we hold the information you have requested and a copy of the information and notes explaining this is attached. 

You should note that whilst we hold the data for September 2024 – February 2025, we do not yet hold March 2025 data. This data should be available on (or around) Monday 19 May 2025. 

Please read the notes to ensure your correct understanding of the data. 

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 one 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 (DHSC) users.  

##Data Source  

Data in ePACT2 is sourced from the NHSBSA Information Services 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.  

##The dataset  

This dataset shows number of items per presentation for private prescriptions of CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD. The chemical substance and code have been included for information.  

##Time Period  

The data covers the period of September 2024 to February 2025 (this is the latest month currently available).  

##Organisation Data  

The data for private unlicensed prescriptions is limited to prescriptions prescribed in England and dispensed in the community. Prescribing ICB (Integrated Care Board) is also indicated.   

##BNF Code  

The BNF (British National Formulary) Code is a 15-digit code in which the first seven digits are allocated according to the categories in the BNF, and the last eight 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. The majority of such items are dressings and appliances which NHS Prescription Services has classified into four pseudo BNF chapters (20 to 23). 

##Items 

This shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form and not the quantity prescribed. 

##Data Queries 

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk 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 communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. 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: “ePACT2, NHSBSA Copyright 2025”. 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: CNS stimulants, NHS Prescriptions
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log