FOI-03446

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

##Request

<p><i>‘I understand this is a relatively tight turnaround, and please do let me know if this is better directed as an FOI. This is off the back of my FOI request (FOI 03301), to represent a broader range of ages, genders and anxiety medications on the NHS.</i></p>

<p><i>I am writing to request a record of national NHS propranolol prescription rates in all NHS trusts across NHS England. Please could this be broken down into each regional ICB. If it is possible to include how this medication is prescribed (via GP, hospital, in-patient facility etc that would be most helpful).</i></p>

<p><i>I would also like to request a record of all antidepressant medication prescriptions (SSRIs, SNRIs etc.) in all NHS trusts across NHS England. Please could this be broken down into each regional ICB. If it is possible to include how this medication is prescribed (via GP, hospital, in-patient facility etc that would be most helpful).</i></p>

<p><i>I wish to have an electronic data set of these prescription rates for as many years as the data goes back to (at least ten years ideally), the number of patients who have been prescribed the medication, the drug variety and at what dose.</i></p>
 
<p><i>I would like the data to show all ages and genders of NHS patients from the age of 12, broken down into five-year age gaps (e.g 12-17, 18-23, 24-29 and so on).</i></p>

<p><i>I am seeking data covering all English prescribing data available, to understand change over time in propranolol and antidepressant prescriptions in hospitals and community prescribing. I understand this includes England, Wales, Scotland, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. </i></p>

<p><i>If it is possible to include whether propranolol and antidepressants have been prescribed for anxiety please may this be included.</i></p>

<p><i>Data provided in total quantities at the BNF presentation level would also be most helpful for this request.’</i></p>

[On 18 December 2025 you clarified your request as follows]  

<p><i>‘Please could you include all items prescribed anywhere and dispensed anywhere, and all those prescribed and dispensed in England. If the ICB structure is known please could this be included too.</i></p>

<p><i>Please could the dataset start from the latest data held, up to the most recent results. You note this time period would be from April 2015-October 2025. I wish to see results from the earliest to the most recent data available, even if incomplete in 2015 and 2025. Please could this be broken down into monthly periods.</i></p>

<p><i>Could data provided in total quantities at the BNF presentation level both as a dimension and a measure.</i></p>

<p><i>Along with providing the total number of unique patients, please could the prescription rate per 1,000 people (as a population denominator) be included.</i></p>

<p><i>The proposal to report the data at ICB level and include any prescribing that took place in hospital or other settings, and which was dispensed in the community, where you hold that data, would be most helpful.</i></p>

<p><i>Along with understanding changes to patient count, a total for prescription items for each period, age group, gender, area etc would be preferred over quantity to make comparisons as you suggest.’</i></p>

[On 19 December 2025 you clarified your request as follows] 

<p><i>‘Any population data available would be most appreciated to calculate patient count. Data on rates per 1,000 patients specifically, split by age and gender would also be appreciated from your earliest available date of November 2018</i></p>

<p><i>Please could the data be provided in six-year age bands 12-17, 18-23, 24-29 etc.’</i></p>

[On 5 January 2026 we contacted you with the following] 

<p><i>‘We currently estimate that the data requested will be in the region of 50 million rows. Can you please confirm if you are happy to continue with your request on this basis or if you would like to refine your request in any way?’</i></p>

[On 8 January 2026 you replied with the following] 

<p><i>‘I would like to focus this data on the most commonly prescribed anxiety medication in the UK, as per the NHS website, in all its dosages. If this could be broken down into age, gender, patient counts and time periods as agreed from the earliest possible data, I would be most grateful.</i></p>

<p><i>Medication used for anxiety I wish to be presented in data to see prescribing rates over time is as follows:</i></p>

<p><i>Propranolol</i></p>

<p><i>SSRIs listed on NHS:</i></p>

<p><i>Sertraline</i></p>

<p><i>Citalopram</i></p>

<p><i>Escitalopram</i></p>

<p><i>Fluoxetine (Prozac)</i></p>

<p><i>Paroxetine</i></p>

<p><i>SNRIs listed on NHS</i></p>

<p><i>Duloxetine</i></p>

<p><i>Venlafaxine</i></p>

<p><i>TCAs listed on NHS</i></p>

<p><i>Amitriptyline</i></p>

<p><i>Dosulepin</i></p>

<p><i>Nortriptyline</i></p>

<p><i>NASSAs listed on NHS</i></p>

<p><i>Mirtazapine</i></p>

<p><i>SARIs listed on NHS</i></p>

<p><i>Trazodone</i></p>

<p><i>Non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medication</i></p>

<p><i>Buspirone</i></p>

<p><i>Pregabalin</i></p>

<p><i>I have taken this list from the NHS website here: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/antidepressants/; and Mind’s website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/sleeping-pills-and-minor-tranquillisers/anti-anxiety-medication/ , but if some of these medications are out of use, I am happy for them to be removed from this data request. I understand that SSRIs are typically prescribed first, so if you advise the data set to only include SSRIs + propranolol please do let me know.’</i></p>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 10 December 2025, with clarification received on 18 December 2025 and 19 December 2025.  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

##Our response 

##Propranolol 

We can confirm that we hold the data you have requested for propanolol and a copy of the data is attached.

##Background 

NHS Prescription Services process prescriptions and information is then used to make payments to pharmacists and appliance contractors (in England) for prescriptions dispensed in primary care settings. This involves processing approximately 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 users. 

##Data Source 

NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse. 

##Time Period 

April 2015 to October 2025 inclusive. 

##Contents 

This FOI request contains data on propanolol prescribing in Integrated Care Boards (ICB) across England, which were then dispensed in the community in England in the time-period listed above.  Given the volume of data requested, the dataset has been split into six separate files; five of the files contain one million rows of data each, with the sixth file containing 479,141 rows. 

##Medicines 

Data is restricted to propanolol prescribing (British National Formulary chemical substance code 0204000R0). 

##Organisation Units 

Data is shown at ICB level, for prescribing in all settings where dispensed in the community.  ICBs are shown under the NHS organisation structure as of the data’s production date (January 2026).  Where ICBs or sub-ICB Locations (SICBLs - formerly Clinical Commissioning Groups) under older English NHS structures are shown, this data will relate to organisational units which closed under the old structure and cannot be mapped to the new organisational hierarchy. 

##Patient dimensions 

Patient age bands are based on the age captured on the prescription form.  Patient gender has been reported using the latest patient gender information held by the NHSBSA Information Services data warehouse at the time of data extraction. 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, intentionally or otherwise).    

Unidentified patients (for example, where the patient cannot be identified by means of an NHS number on the prescription form) are excluded from all patient counts. Items and total quantities prescribed to unidentified patients are included in the data; as a result, some rows may have a zero-patient count and non-zero values for items and total quantity. 

The figures for the number of identifiable patients should not be combined and reported at any other level than provided as this may result in the double-counting of patients. 

##List sizes 

The data is shown per 1,000 patients based on practice list size, aggregated to ICB level, where available.  Please note that practice list sizes are not available prior to November 2018 and are only held against GP practices in English ICBs.  

##Statistical Disclosure Protocol and redaction of small numbers 

In line with the NHSBSA Statistical Disclosure Protocol, redaction has been applied to patient counts, item counts, patient rates per 1,000 list size and total quantity values on the following basis: 

the patient count on the row is between one and four 

the value for items, patient rates per 1,000 list size or total quantity on the row would infer a patient count of between one and four 

In both cases, the value for patient counts, item counts, patient rates per 1,000 list size and total quantity have been replaced by an asterisk (*). 

##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. 

items supplied under Community Pharmacy Advanced Services, such as the NHS Pharmacy First Service. 

##Other drugs 

We are issuing a partial refusal notice under FOIA section 17 for data relating to the following drugs: 

sertraline 

citalopram 

escitalopram 

fluoxetine (prozac) 

paroxetine 

duloxetine 

venlafaxine 

amitriptyline 

dosulepin 

nortriptyline 

mirtazapine 

trazodone 

buspirone 

pregabalin 

We do hold the requested information for these drugs; however, we estimate that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit under FOIA section 12. 

We estimate that the cost of complying with your request would exceed the non-central Government limit of £450. The limit has been specified in The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.  It represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether we hold the information, and locating, retrieving, extracting and checking the information.   

We have attempted to complete the request within the 18-hour limit; however, we have reached the 18-hour limit and have not been able to extract the data in a useable format.  

To view FOIA section 12 in full: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/12 

##Advice and assistance 

In accordance with the duty to advise and assist under section 16 of the FOIA 2000, please be advised that you may be able to submit a refined request. 

For example, how many people have been prescribed drugs other than propanolol in your original request since (insert date) to (insert date), and with a focus on the data at a national level and by chemical substance. 

Once details such as presentation, prescribed quantity and ICB are included, the data can become too granular and would lead to a large part of it being redacted due to low patient numbers involved. 

It may also be helpful to consider that medication can be prescribed for reasons outside of their primary use. For example, some drugs are not antidepressants but can be prescribed for anxiety.  We also do not capture the clinical reason why a drug has been prescribed. 

Any subsequent FOI request may still be subject to applicable exemptions under the FOIA. 

##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: NHS Prescriptions, Propranolol
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log