BNF Code Information - Historic

<h2>Dataset Description</h2>

<p>This dataset provides the final view of the previous year’s BNF publications. For example, Version 88 represents the BNF code as of December 2025. Each year, once the latest December file has been finalised, it is moved from the <a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/bnf-code-information-current-year">BNF Code Information - Current Year</a> dataset to this historic collection. This dataset contains one final BNF file per year, preserving a record of past BNF coding structures.</p>

<p>The NHSBSA uses the British National Formulary (BNF) coding system to support prescription reporting. The BNF provides a structured, hierarchical view of drugs and medical devices at the BNF presentation level, organised into chapters, sections, and paragraphs. This structured approach ensures that therapeutic categories are clearly defined and provides essential context for NHSBSA prescription data reporting.</p>

<p>Each drug or medical device presentation used in Primary Care is assigned a BNF code, allowing it to be identified and extracted for analysis. The BNF code system enables flexible extraction, aggregation, ordering, and presentation of data at multiple levels and in various combinations.</p>

<h3>BNF Code Structure</h3>

<ul>
<li><strong>BNF Drug Code</strong>: A 15-digit code, where the first seven digits correspond to the BNF categories, and the last eight digits represent the medicinal product, form, strength, and link to the generic equivalent.</li>
<li><strong>BNF Appliance Code</strong>: An 11-digit code used for medical appliances.</li>
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<h3> Other BNF Datasets</h3>
<p>The BNF dataset is updated monthly, with the latest version available in the <a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/bnf-code-information-current-year">BNF Code Information - Current Year</a> dataset. For details on monthly changes to the BNF structure, refer to the <a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/bnf-code-information-monthly-changes">BNF Code Information - Monthly Changes</a> dataset.

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<h2>Overview of Service</h2>
    <p>Information about our NHSBSA Prescriptions Data service can be found here - <a href="https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/prescription-data">Prescription Data | NHSBSA</a></p>

<h2>Dataset Details</h2>
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    <p>NHSBSA Data Warehouse.</p>
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    <p>Sourced from NHSBSA Common Drug Reference (CDR) database.</p>
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    <p><strong>Publication Frequency:</strong> This dataset will be updated annually, capturing a final year-end view of the BNF Information - Current Year dataset.</p>
<p> <strong>Historical data:</strong> Data is available from 2020 onwards. BNF version 78.</p>
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    <p>Not Applicable. This dataset is not based on any specific geography.</p>
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<p>Management Information - This is not an official statistic.</p>
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<h2>Caveats</h2>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">BNF Categorisation and Structure</h3>

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<li>The data aligns with the latest BNF categorisation held on NHSBSA drug databases. The British National Formulary (BNF) structure changed with BNF 70 (September 2015), but NHSBSA data continues to follow the BNF 68 structure.</li>
<li><strong>Chapter 19</strong> is a general category for products that do not fit into standard BNF chapters. Some headings in this chapter may not clearly reflect the products within.</li>
<li>To be able to classify items not covered within standard BNF chapters (1–15), the NHSBSA has created <strong>pseudo BNF chapters (20–23)</strong>. These chapters primarily cover dressings and appliances, ensuring they can be classified and reported effectively within the NHSBSA's coding system.</li>
<li>The BNF code does not include pack size details or further specificity beyond its defined structure.</li>
<li>Drugs and chemical substances can appear in multiple BNF chapters or sections, such as Methadone. </li>
<li>New BNF codes are created as needed, but changes to existing BNF codes occur once a year. For example, if a product moves from Chapter 03 to Chapter 04, this change takes effect in January.</li>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">Therapeutic Classification Limitations</h3>

<p>Medicines are classified based on their primary therapeutic indication, but they may also be prescribed for other reasons that are not captured by NHSBSA during processing. The clinical indication of a prescription is not recorded, so it is not possible to determine the reason for prescribing.</p>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">Appliance BNF Coding Descriptions</h3>

<p>Appliance BNF coding for BNF Paragraph, Subparagraph, and Chemical Substance fields is a representation of other fields to provide a more meaningful description. The BNF Presentation/Product field provides the actual appliance description.</p>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">Compatibility and Matching Considerationss</h3>

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<li>Care should be taken when attempting to match BNF coding information from this dataset to other NHSBSA datasets, as other datasets may provide snapshots of data specific to individual prescription months, rather than dynamically updated versions.</li>
<li>Previous historic versions transferred from the NHSBSA Information Service Portal have retained their original format and will not be updated to align with the current view.</li>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">Data Accuracy and Source Limitations</h3>

<p>The accuracy of this dataset is dependent on the source CDR drug database, where the raw data is stored.</p>
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<span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Information: </span><h3 class="nhsuk-u-font-size-32">Removal of Invalid Products from BNF Structural Hierarchy</h3>

<p>From version 88 onwards, all BNF datasets – including the year-end historic dataset – will exclude invalid products. To support transparency, any additions, removals, or amendments are recorded in the <strong>monthly changes dataset</strong>, which users can reference to track changes across the year.</p>
 
<p><strong>Please note:</strong> Older versions (up to and including version 86) contained all products, including those that had become invalid. As a result, comparing historic versions with newer files may be challenging due to the inclusion of invalid products in earlier datasets. 
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<h2>Enquiries</h2>
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    <p><p>If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing, the data please contact <a href="mailto:DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk">DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> ensuring you quote the name of the dataset for reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.</p></p>
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<h2>Citing and Reusing This Data</h2>
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    <p><p>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.</p>
<p>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:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/</a></p>
<p>Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: &ldquo;NHSBSA Copyright 2025&rdquo; Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.</p>
<p>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.</p></p>
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<p><p>NHS Business Services Authority. " BNF Code Information – Historic " NHS Business Services Authority Open Data. Accessed **[Date Accessed]**. URL: <a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/bnf-code-information-historic">https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/bnf-code-information-historic</a></p>
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Organization: Community Prescribing & Dispensing