FOI-01724

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

‘Please supply, broken down, by years, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2023  

For London area only:  

a) How many NHS prescription ENQUIRY LETTERS were sent, broken down by the above years in the London area ? 

b) How many NHS prescription PCN (Penalty charge notices) were issued, broken down by above years in the London area?  

c) What is the value of the NHS prescription charges claimed back by the NHS (ie original NHS prescription charge) broken down by the above years in the London area ?  

d) How many of those contained in (a) were subsequently appealed successfully, broken down by year?  

NOTES/GUIDANCE: Re years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, you should supply what you have on record. So for example if you have the figures for financial year you should make this clear (and amend accordingly so it's   

19-20  

20-21  

21-22  

22-23  

23 to date  

But my preference is for calendar year.  

Please ensure you advise if any aspect of this request needs to be reformulated, to correspond with what you know is on record, please advise- and the FOI will be reformulated accordingly.’  

##[On 9 February 2024 you clarified your request as follows]  

‘I have asked for information in the London area. And understand the following post codes would enable you to search (see below).  

Yes, I am simply asking for the value of the prescription charges. However I would breakdown for clarity question C as below, so please replace accordingly.  

AMENDED QUESTION C  

Ci) What is the value of the NHS prescription charges claimed back by the NHS (ie original NHS prescription charge, broken down by the above years in the London area, searching by the post codes below ?   

ii) What is the value of the penalty charges received broken down for the above years, in the London area, searching by the post codes below?’ 

##[On 29 February 2024 you clarified your request as follows] 

‘To clarify, further to the early clarification: 

It is a question about the prescription exemption checking service 

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/understanding-penalty-charges#:~:text=If%20we%20cannot%20confirm%20during,Penalty%20Charge%20Notice%20(PCN). 

I am simply asking for the value in 

Ci) Of the prescription charges claimed back (because when a fine is issued the prescription charge is also payable) – for if ‘Person X’ got a fine of £100 because they were not exempt from their statin and ventolin prescription the total, as far as I understand that would come back would be £100 fine plus 9.65 X 2 (assuming the standard NHS prescription charge) So this section is just asking for the reclaimable prescription charge (so 9.65X2) 

Cii) The penalty charges are simply the fines collected. So in the above case of ‘Person X’ – it’s 100.’ 

Your request was received on 6 February 2024, with clarification received on 9 February 2024 and 29 February 2024, and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

##Response 

A copy of the information is attached. 

Please note, we paused issuing cases in March 2020 and resumed issuing cases in December 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Please note, the income received within 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 could be from any Penalty Charge Notices issued, not just the Penalty Charge Notices issued within those years. 

##Postcodes searched 

##EC district 

EC1A, EC1M, EC1N, EC1P, EC1R, EC1V, EC1Y: Barbican, Clerkenwell, Finsbury 
EC2A, EC2M, EC2N, EC2P, EC2R, EC2V, EC2Y: Moorgate, Liverpool Street 
EC3A, EC3M, EC3N, EC3P, EC3R, EC3V: Aldgate, Monument, Tower Hill 
EC4A, EC4M, EC4N, EC4P, EC4R, EC4V, EC4Y: Fleet Street, St Paul's 

##WC district 

WC1A, WC1B, WC1E, WC1H, WC1N, WC1R, WC1V, WC1X: Bloomsbury, Gray's Inn 
WC2A, WC2B, WC2E, WC2H, WC2N, WC2R: Covent Garden, Holborn, Strand 

##E district 

E1: Mile End, Stepney, Whitechapel, E2: Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, E3: Bow, Bromley-by-Bow, E4: Chingford, Highams Park, E5: Clapton, E6: East Ham, Beckton, E7: Forest Gate, Upton Park, E8: Hackney, Dalston, E9: Hackney, Homerton, E10: Leyton, E11: Leytonstone, E12: Manor Park, E13: Plaistow, E14: Isle of Dogs, Millwall, Poplar, E15: Stratford, West Ham, E16: Canning Town, North Woolwich, E17: Walthamstow, E18: South Woodford, E20: Olympic Park, Stratford 

##N district 

N1: Barnsbury, Canonbury, Islington, N2: East Finchley, N3: Finchley Central, N4: Finsbury Park, Manor House, N5: Highbury, N6: Highgate, N7: Holloway, N8: Crouch End, Hornsey, N9: Lower Edmonton, N10: Muswell Hill, N11: Friern Barnet, New Southgate, N12: North Finchley, Woodside Park, N13: Palmers Green, N14: Southgate, N15: Seven Sisters, N16: Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, N17: Tottenham, N18: Upper Edmonton, N19: Archway, Tufnell Park, N20: Totteridge, Whetstone, N21: Winchmore Hill, N22: Alexandra Palace, Wood Green 

##NW district 

NW1: Camden Town, Regent's Park, NW2: Cricklewood, Neasden, NW3: Hampstead, Swiss Cottage, NW4: Brent Cross, Hendon, NW5: Kentish Town, NW6: Kilburn, Queens Park, West Hampstead, NW7: Mill Hill, NW8: St John's Wood, NW9: Colindale, Kingsbury, NW10: Harlesden, Kensal Green, Willesden, NW11: Golders Green, Hampstead Garden Suburb 

##SE district 

SE1: Bermondsey, Borough, Southwark, Waterloo, SE2: Abbey Wood, SE3: Blackheath, Westcombe Park, SE4: Brockley, Crofton Park, Honor Oak Park, SE5: Camberwell, SE6: Bellingham, Catford, Hither Green, SE7: Charlton, SE8: Deptford, SE9: Eltham, Mottingham, SE10: Greenwich, SE11: Lambeth, SE12: Grove Park, Lee, SE13: Hither Green, Lewisham, SE14: New Cross, New Cross Gate, SE15: Nunhead, Peckham, SE16: Rotherhithe, South Bermondsey, Surrey Docks, SE17: Elephant & Castle, Walworth, SE18: Plumstead, Woolwich, SE19: Crystal Palace, Upper Norwood, SE20: Anerley, Penge, SE21: Dulwich, SE22: East Dulwich, SE23: Forest Hill, SE24: Herne Hill, SE25: South Norwood, SE26: Sydenham, SE27: Tulse Hill, West Norwood, SE28: Thamesmead 

##SW district 

SW1: Belgravia, Pimlico, Westminster, SW2: Brixton, Streatham Hill, SW3: Brompton, Chelsea, SW4: Clapham, SW5: Earl's Court, SW6: Fulham, Parson's Green, SW7: South Kensington, SW8: Nine Elms, South Lambeth, SW9: Brixton, Stockwell, SW10: West Brompton, World's End, SW11: Battersea, Clapham Junction, SW12: Balham, SW13: Barnes, Castelnau, SW14: East Sheen, Mortlake, SW15: Putney, Roehampton, SW16: Norbury, Streatham, SW17: Tooting, SW18: Earlsfield, Wandsworth, SW19: Merton, Wimbledon, SW20: Raynes Park, South Wimbledon 

##W district 

W1: Marylebone, Mayfair, Soho, W2: Bayswater, Paddington, W3: Acton, W4: Chiswick, W5: Ealing, W6: Hammersmith, W7: Hanwell, W8: Kensington, W9: Maida Vale, Warwick Avenue, W10: Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington, W11: Holland Park, Notting Hill, W12: Shepherd's Bush, W13: West Ealing, W14: West Kensington 

##Outer London 

BR: Bromley, CR: Croydon, DA: Dartford, EN: Enfield, HA: Harrow, IG: Ilford, KT: Kingston, RM: Romford, SM: Sutton, TW: Twickenham, UB: Uxbridge, WD: Watford 

##Data Queries 

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Tags: Enquiry Letters, Penalty Charges, Prescription Charges
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log