I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act, which I received on 5th July for information about the following:

Please may I request the following information from your health board. For ease of collation, the information could be provided in the tables provided after each question.

• The numbers of patients who have been prescribed antidepressants in the following years after a phone consultation.
  2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 (SO FAR)

• The numbers of patients who have been prescribed antidepressants in the following years after one GP consultation regarding their mental health. 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 (SO FAR)

Can I also confirm if there is a method by which the NHS tracks side effects experienced from use of these drugs?

Antidepressants in this instance refers to any of the following classifications of drugs: SSRIs, SNRIs, NASSAs, TCAs, SARIs, MAOIs.

Response

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.

However we do have medicines used in mental health data available via the below link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/medicines-used-mental-health-england

For information on prescription items dispensed in the community in England which have been submitted to the NHSBSA for reimbursement.

Dataset: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Annual statistics https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/prescription-cost-analysis-pca-annual-statistics

Dataset: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Monthly Administrative Data
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/prescription-cost-analysis-pca-monthly-data

For information on English prescribing data issued in England and dispensed in England, Wales, Scotland, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

Dataset: English Prescribing Dataset (EPD) https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-prescribing-data-epd

Data Queries
If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data please contact nhsbsa.foirequests@nhs.net ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

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:

“NHSBSA Copyright 2023” 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.