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Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data

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Community Prescribing & Dispensing

Datasets on the prescribing and dispensing of medicines in the community

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Open Government Licence 3.0 (United Kingdom) [Open Data]

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Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data

Dataset Description

Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) shows the total volume and cost for drugs, dressings, appliances, and medical devices that have been dispensed in the community in England and submitted to the NHSBSA for reimbursement monthly. 

This dataset is designed to provide the total number of prescription items and spend for any individual product, at any level of the British National Formulary (BNF) hierarchy. For example, for Paracetamol 500mg tablets, or collections of products such as antibacterial drugs, antidepressant drugs, or dressings. 

This data mirrors the methodology used in the PCA Annual National Statistics publication.  

The latest statistical release, along with more information on what PCA contains, can be found on the NHSBSA website and you can specifically read the Prescription Cost Analysis Background Information and Methodology. The monthly PCA release is a monthly management information data set and is not an Official Statistic. 

Data for February 2008 to March 2021 is available on the NHSBSA website in a legacy format. 

Overview of Service

Information about our NHSBSA Prescriptions Data service can be found here - Prescription data | NHSBSA

Dataset Details

Data Source
NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Data Warehouse.

Data Collection

The dataset is provided from Prescription data collected by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for the operational purpose of reimbursing and remunerating dispensing contractors for the costs of supplying drugs and devices, and providing essential and advanced services, to NHS patients. The data that forms the basis of these statistics is collected as a by-product of this process.

Time Periods

Data is published retrospectively with a two-month delay. For example, January data is published in March.

Historical Data: Data is available from January 2021 onwards.

Geography

The PCA dataset is limited to a view of items dispensed only in the community in England, regardless of whether they were prescribed in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and State authorities such as Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Isle of Man.p>

Statistical Classification

Management Information - This is not an official statistic.

Caveats

Information:

Excluded Items

The dataset does not include items that were not dispensed, were disallowed, or were returned to the contractor for further clarification.
Information:

Prescribing Contexts Not Included

Prescriptions that are prescribed and dispensed within prisons, hospitals, or issued as private prescriptions are not included in this dataset.
Information:

Unsubmitted or Unclaimed Items

Items that were prescribed but either not presented for dispensing, or not submitted to NHS Prescription Services by the dispenser, are also excluded.
Information:

Further Information

Additional limitations of the dataset can be found in the Prescription Cost Analysis Background Information and Methodology.

Enquiries

Who can I contact if I have queries relating to the data?

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data, please contact DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the name of the dataset for reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

Citing and Reusing This Data

Important information regarding 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/or other applicable law. You may use the data freely, provided that you attribute the source.

Citation

NHS Business Services Authority. "Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data.” NHS Business Services Authority Open Data. Accessed **[Date Accessed]**. URL: https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/prescription-cost-analysis-pca-monthly-data

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Data warehouse
Contact NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
Version 1.0
State active
Last Updated August 8, 2025, 13:53 (UTC)
Created June 16, 2021, 14:46 (UTC)