FOI-03503

__Request__

_Can you please provide the following data for Chapters 20, 21, 22 and 23 for English prescribers and with no limit on dispensers. (Should include Appliance Contractors, Dispensing doctors and Pharmacies) I would like this data to be by month for the months October 2025 and if available November 2025. (The request is for the same data in FOI_ 03425 published in December 2025)_ 
  
_I would like the response to include the following fields:_ 
  
YEAR_MONTH 
integer  
PRACTICE_CODE 
string  
DISPENSER_CODE 
string  
BNF_CODE 
integer  
PRODUCT_ORDER_NUMBER 
string  
PACK_ORDER_NUMBER 
string  
SNOMED_CONCEPT_ID 
integer  
VMP_VMPP_AMP_AMPP 
string  
NIC_GBP 
number  
ITEMS 
integer  
TOTAL_QUANTITY 
integer  
EPD_FLAG 
string  
DISPENSER_ACCOUNT_TYPE 
string  
BNF_APPLIANCE_FLAG 
string  
EPD_BNF_20_21_22 
string  
EPD_BNF_23 
string  
ENG_PRESC_BNF20_23’ 

__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.

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__

October 2025

Please note drugs flagged in our database as Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs have been excluded from this dataset for information security reasons to prevent the identification of organisations with high levels of controlled drug dispensing. 

This data is limited to prescriptions prescribed in England and dispensed in either England, Scotland or Wales. 

The dataset also excludes items supplied as part of a Pharmacy First consultation or service 

__Exclusions__

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.

__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: “NHSBSA Information Services 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