FOI-01901

##Request

You asked us:

1-	The monthly total number of items of antibacterial agents (as described below) in the BNF section (0501) prescribed and dispensed in England by NHS general dental practitioners for three periods (1) between 1st January 2013 to 31st of December 2013, (2) between 1st of January 2014 to 31st of December 2014, and (3) between 1st of January 2023 to 31st of December 2023. 

Antibiotics:

BNF Chemical Substance Code	BNF Chemical Substance

0501013B0	Amoxicillin

0501050A0	Azithromycin

0501021L0	Cefalexin

0501021M0	Cefradine

0501050B0	Clarithromycin

0501060D0	Clindamycin hydrochloride

0501013K0	Co-amoxiclav (Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid)

0501030I0	Doxycycline hyclate

0501050C0	Erythromycin

0501050H0	Erythromycin ethylsuccinate

0501050N0	Erythromycin stearate

0501110C0	Metronidazole

0501030T0	Oxytetracycline

0501011P0	Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V)

0501030V0	Tetracycline

2-	The monthly total number of items of analgesics (paracetamol, aspirin, dihydrocodeine, diclofenac sodium and ibuprofen) (as described below) prescribed by NHS general dental practitioners for three periods (1) between 1st January 2013 to 31st of December 2013, (2) between 1st of January 2014 to 31st of December 2014, and (3) between 1st of January 2023 to 31st of December 2023 as individual drug names (as specified above), chemical names and number of items per month. 

Analgesics:

BNF Chemical Substance Code	BNF Chemical Substance

0407010B0	Aspirin

1001010C0	Diclofenac sodium

0407020G0	Dihydrocodeine tartrate

1001010J0	Ibuprofen

0407010H0	Paracetamol

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 1 May 2024. 

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

##Our response

###January 2013 to December 2013

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records,
I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority. We hold data from January 2014 onwards.

###Remaining Information

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information and notes explaining it 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: ePACT2

Data in ePACT2 is sourced from the NHSBSA 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.

This dataset is shown in two parts:

Part 1 shows data at BNF chemical substance level and shows all chemical substances in BNF Section 0501 Antibacterial drugs.

Part2 shows data at BNF chemical substance level for the following BNF chemical substances: 0407010B0 – Aspirin, 0407010H0 – Paracetamol, 0407020G0 - Dihydrocodeine tartrate, 1001010C0 - Diclofenac sodium, 1001010J0 – Ibuprofen.

###Time Period:

Part 1 and 2 contain data for the requested time periods below:

January 2014 – December 2014

January 2023 – December 2023

###Organisation Data

The data is at national level and is for all English dental prescribing that has been dispensed in the community in England.

###Items

This shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.

##Data Queries

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing, the data please contact foidata@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

##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:
“Prescription Services, NHSBSA Copyright 2024” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ 

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: Drug data, NHS Prescription Services
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log