Thank you for your request for information about the following:

‘I am writing to submit a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to obtain pharmacy and appliance contractor dispensing data.

Your colleague mentioned that you have access to data going back to 2014. If this is the case, can you send me dispensing contractors data for the months May and June of each year from 2014 to 2019 inclusive.

(If you do have any older data you are able to provide that is in the same format then please also provide this going as far back as possible).

Please provide this data in separate csv files per month in the same format as on your Prescription data > Dispensing contractors’ data > Pharmacy and appliance contractor dispensing data page.

[On 12 July 2023 you clarified your request as follows]

Apologies I just realised I meant to ask for April, May and June data for each year, if it’s possible to update my request!

And just to clarify further, there are slightly different fields between different years but the main ones which I think are consistent are:

Contractor Type, Contractor Code, Contractor Name, Address line 1, Address line 2, Address line 3, Postcode,

Number of forms, Number of items, TotalnumberofPrescriptions(ProfessionalFees), NumberofPrescriptions(ProfessionalFees)(Standarddiscountrate),

NumberofPrescriptions(ProfessionalFees)(Zerodiscountrate), NumberofformsforElectronicPrescriptionService(EPS),

NumberofItemsprocessedviaElectronicPrescriptionService(EPS), NumberofMedicineUseReviews(MURs)declared, NumberofNewMedicineService(NMS)interventionsdeclared,

NumberofApplianceUseReviews(AURs)conductedinusershomes, NumberofApplianceUseReviews(AURs)conductedatpremises,

NumberofStomaCustomisationFees’

Your request was received on 11 July 2023 and has been dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Response

A copy of the information is attached.

FOI 01300

Reports detailing monthly information dispensed by Pharmacy and Appliance Contractors in England which includes Advanced Services declared. https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/prescription-data/dispensing-data/dispensing-contractors-data

NHSBSA

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

Dispensing contractors' data | NHSBSA

Time Period

Monthly: April, May, and June for the years 2014 to 2019

Please Note

For the earlier months of April, May, and June 2014 and April, May, and June 2015 the data is presented differently. The Pharmacy data is listed first in the csv file with the Appliance data listed separately underneath, followed by the abated Pharmacy data.

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data, please contact foidata@nhsbsa.nhs.uk 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.