FOI-03868

##Request

You asked us:

<i>For prescription items not dispensed on prescriptions submitted to the NHS BSA.
 
From May 2022 to the latest month you have data for
 
Fields as follows:
 
Month Submitted<br>
Region Name<br>
Region Code<br>
ICB Name<br>
ICB Code<br>
Practice Name<br>
Practice ODS Code<br>
BNF Presentation<br>
BNF Code<br>
Quantity<br>
Quantity X Items<br>
SNOMED Code</i>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 1 June.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. 

##Our response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested.

Please read the below notes to ensure 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 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	
The data source was the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.
 
##Time Period
May 2022 to - March 2026
 
This data is limited to prescriptions submitted to the NHSBSA which are held as not dispensed by contractors in England. 
 
The dataset also excludes items supplied as part of a Pharmacy First consultation or service 

Paper prescription data and EPS data have been supplied separately due to way data is processed and held.

For paper not dispensed prescriptions there are no quantities recorded so the item count has been provided to show volumes. 
The drug information available for paper not dispensed prescriptions is incomplete and what is taken from an intermediary processing stage and has not been through any validation. 

For EPS not dispensed prescriptions we are able to provide the information from the EPS message. This information has not been processed or been through any validation. 

Once an item is submitted as not dispensed no further processing may be applied. Had these not dispensed items been claimed as dispensed it is possible a number of them may have been referred back, disallowed for other reasons or information may have changed during processing and pricing.  

##Exclusions
The Data excludes: 

* Items 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.

##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: “Data Warehouse, 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: NHS Presciption Services
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log