FOI-03716

<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="normaltextrun" data-ccp-charstyle-defn="{&quot;ObjectId&quot;:&quot;ac0262f4-8a9e-5820-b908-2d943c5f7113|1&quot;,&quot;ClassId&quot;:1073872969,&quot;Properties&quot;:[201342446,&quot;1&quot;,201342447,&quot;5&quot;,201342448,&quot;1&quot;,201342449,&quot;1&quot;,469777841,&quot;Calibri&quot;,469777842,&quot;Arial&quot;,469777843,&quot;Calibri&quot;,469777844,&quot;Calibri&quot;,201341986,&quot;1&quot;,469769226,&quot;Calibri,Arial&quot;,268442635,&quot;22&quot;,469775450,&quot;normaltextrun&quot;,201340122,&quot;1&quot;,134233614,&quot;true&quot;,469778129,&quot;normaltextrun&quot;,335572020,&quot;1&quot;,469778324,&quot;Default Paragraph Font&quot;]}">Request</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><em><span data-contrast="auto">I am writing to make a follow-up Freedom of Information request relating to the data provided in response to FOI-03587, which covered private prescriptions for cannabis-based medicinal products broken down by pseudonymised prescriber identifier.</span></em>&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">I would like to request the following information:</span></em>&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1. For each of the following ten `PRESCRIBER_PSEUDOID_NUMBERs` contained in the FOI-03587 dataset, please provide the corresponding prescriber's name, GMC registration number, and private prescriber code as held by NHSBSA.</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_89973c230232f3934ead4d2cf7ab2d338c849b9acea05ecdcc48604ecb3fd4ac&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_ffb3774799523b42b6d207b72dc73c63f958ac829f7b208589aaf8a16ad13003&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_1781f3598d27ea0f3bd016e2d35525bd34daf08115aa86d0a8f4c320c04d9f29&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_9c37be4318ff831b83a3bab99d2e08505080ecaa395eddbb4b6f0827f5aa4c5c&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_e7dcbe29b4bd1f4fba24c29e1a849607d85b2f02ef62fcf2774f343148c1ac79&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_601ea48ef0814911e74e9104fc82f5fc4c1117d2a0bf73e5ad41019201304758&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_c426c66350d980254ec20c4c7abadb1e43d5ceed8c3f0360af6dcff748c1453f&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_5c05d6c6933196036fddc8eb70c79fc95531c72c22d76633f17483961f5b958f&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_840838826fefa373113bd8d036bf4050f67a2585bb60dc4161ce7c86aa9278f3&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">1_e6cc2715fe7a1ca570af29d23add7f15a4c3c866acd084b23a0c37e5a2a83e34&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></em>&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br /><em><span data-contrast="auto">These ten IDs are the prescribers who issued the highest counts of Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 CBPM prescription items that you shared in FOI-03597. Between them they account for 805,255 items in total or about 53 per cent of all items prescribed.</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on&nbsp;31 March 2026</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000</span><strong><span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp;</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto">(FOIA).&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">We wrote to you on 30 April 2026&nbsp;to let you know that we&nbsp;required an extension to consider the public interest test as exemptions apply to the requested information.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="normaltextrun">Our response</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">We&nbsp;can confirm that the NHSBSA&nbsp;holds&nbsp;prescriber information, including name, prescriber code, address and linked Integrated Care Board (ICB).&nbsp;&nbsp;However,&nbsp;we consider this information to be exempt under section 40(2) and section 36 of the FOIA as detailed below.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The NHSBSA does not hold&nbsp;GMC&nbsp;registration&nbsp;numbers.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Section 40(2)- Personal information</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The names&nbsp;and&nbsp;prescriber codes&nbsp;of the ten&nbsp;prescribers&nbsp;are&nbsp;personal data of the prescribers as it would result in their identification.&nbsp;Personal data is&nbsp;exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the FOIA&nbsp;if&nbsp;its&nbsp;disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">To&nbsp;comply with&nbsp;the lawfulness, fairness, and transparency principle, we either need the consent of the data subjects or there must be a legitimate interest in disclosure. In addition, the disclosure must be necessary to meet the legitimate interest and finally, the disclosure must not cause unwarranted harm.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">As we do not have the consent of the data subjects, the NHSBSA&nbsp;is therefore required to&nbsp;conduct a balancing exercise between legitimate interest of the applicant in disclosure against the rights and freedoms of the data subjects.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The NHSBSA acknowledges that there&nbsp;are public concerns surrounding private unlicenced cannabis prescribing. There is legitimate public interest in understanding that prescribing patterns are&nbsp;appropriate&nbsp;and that the sector is appropriately regulated and investigations conducted where necessary.&nbsp;Investigating bodies&nbsp;are able to&nbsp;access a wider range of data to support their investigation.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">However,&nbsp;there is no expectation from prescribers that their information will be released into the public domain.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The release of prescriber names into the public domain is not necessary to improve regulation or for regulators&nbsp;and/or organisations with monitoring and oversight responsibilities&nbsp;to carry out investigations. The public can already raise concerns without the need for names to be in the public domain. The NHSBSA&nbsp;does and&nbsp;will continue to work with regulators&nbsp;and those with monitoring and oversight responsibilities&nbsp;to provide data to them where necessary and&nbsp;appropriate as&nbsp;requested by the&nbsp;relevant body.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The data that NHSBSA holds shows volumes of prescriptions issued by named prescribers.&nbsp;On its own the data we hold cannot provide any wider context about the prescribing and/or its appropriateness.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[8]}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">We have concluded that disclosure of the requested information would not&nbsp;comply with&nbsp;the lawfulness,&nbsp;fairness&nbsp;and transparency principle as the requested information is not&nbsp;required&nbsp;to meet the legitimate interests and so would not be fair to prescribers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Therefore&nbsp;section 40(2) is engaged.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Please see the following link to view the section 40 exemption in full -&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40"><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40</span></span></a><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36 &ndash; Prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The NHSBSA&nbsp;considers&nbsp;the information you have requested is exempt from disclosure&nbsp;under sections&nbsp;36(2)(b)(i),&nbsp;36(2)(b)(ii) and 36(2)(c) of the FOIA.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36(2)(b)(i) &ndash; This is because disclosure would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36(2)(b)(ii) - This is because disclosure would inhibit the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36(2)(c) -This is because disclosure would otherwise prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36(2) of the FOIA requires the public authority to consult&nbsp;the&nbsp;relevant qualified person before the exemption is engaged. It further&nbsp;necessitates&nbsp;that the qualified person has the reasonable opinion that the&nbsp;prejudice&nbsp;referenced would or would be likely&nbsp;to,&nbsp;arise through disclosure.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The name of the qualified person in this case is Michael Brodie, NHSBSA CEO.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In the qualified person's opinion,&nbsp;sections&nbsp;36(2)b(i),&nbsp;36(2)(b)(ii) and (c) are engaged&nbsp;and the&nbsp;prejudices&nbsp;would occur.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Section 36 of the FOIA 2000 is a qualified, prejudice-based exemption and is subject to the public interest test. This means that&nbsp;in order for&nbsp;the information to be withheld, the public interest in&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;the exemption must outweigh the exemption in disclosure.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Public interest test</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Considerations in favour of disclosure:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">10 prescribers have between them prescribed half of all private cannabis prescriptions between 1 January 2019- 31 December 2025.  </span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">There are patient safety concerns regarding the appropriateness of private unlicenced cannabis prescribing. There is therefore public interest in understanding who the prescribers are and whether prescribing is appropriate.  </span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">There is legitimate interest in understanding how the sector is regulated and that regulation is effective. </span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Considerations against disclosure:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">There is an inherent public interest in allowing free and frank discussion and/or the exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">There is an inherent public interest in&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;the effective conduct of public affairs</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">The public can already raise concerns without the need for names to be in the public domain. The NHSBSA&nbsp;does, and&nbsp;will continue to work with regulators&nbsp;and those with monitoring and oversight responsibilities&nbsp;to provide data to them where necessary and&nbsp;appropriate&nbsp;as&nbsp;requested by the relevant body.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">The data that NHSBSA holds shows volumes of prescriptions issued by named prescribers.&nbsp;On its own the data we hold cannot provide any wider context about the prescribing and/or its appropriateness.&nbsp;As part of an investigation,&nbsp;the investigating body will be able to access&nbsp;a&nbsp;wider range of data to&nbsp;support their investigation.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has been commissioned to undertake a review of the use and availability of&nbsp;cannabis based&nbsp;products for medicinal use.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Conclusion:</span></strong>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">We recognise that there is a public interest in the disclosure of information which&nbsp;would contribute to&nbsp;public understanding of private unlicenced cannabis prescribing&nbsp;however, there is also a public interest in the&nbsp;public authorities&nbsp;having the space to have free and frank discussions and/or the exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation without fear of disclosure into the public domain.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">There is also the inherent public interest in ensuring the effective conduct of public affairs.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Having undertaken the balancing exercise, we have concluded that the weight afforded to the public interest in&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Please see the below web link to see the exemption in full.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/36"><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/36</span></span></a><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p>

Tags: Licenced Cannabis
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log