Request

We have obtained data from 1 of September 2017 to 30 of November 2022. To complement this data and to be able to answer the research question fully, we need similar data in two periods (1) 1 January 2015 to 31 August 2017, (2) 1 December 2022 to 31 March 2023.

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 the two periods (1) 1 January 2015 to 31 August 2017, (2) 1 December 2022 to 31 March 2023 expressed as individual drug names, chemical names and number of items per month.

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

1. 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 the two periods (1) 1 January 2015 to 31 August 2017, (2) 1 December 2022 to 31 March 2023 expressed 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

Response

March 2023 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. This is because the data is not yet available in our ePact2 system. We estimate that the data should be available by the end of May 2023.

Remaining months A copy of the information is attached.

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.

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.

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: For part 1 and 2 the data is split into the time periods below: January 2015 – August 2017 December 2022 – February 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: shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.

Please note that this request and our response is published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-01126