Thank you for your request for information about the following:

‘I have previously asked for the number of applications which have been made to the NHS low income scheme, and am now requesting the following:

1. The number of applications which were made to the NHS low income scheme in 2023

2. The number of applications which were made to the NHS low income scheme in 2023 where no certificate was issued

3. Confirmation that the number of applications made to the NHS low income scheme for the following years are still as follows: 2020: 236,993 applications, 2021: 267,248 applications, 2022: 361,129 applications

4. Confirmation that the number of applications made to the NHS low income scheme where no certificate was issued for the following years are still as follows: 2020: 17,697, 202: 13,983, 2022: 14,337’

Your request was received on 29 January 2024 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Response

Question 1

There were 378,374 applications to the NHS low income scheme in 2023.

Question 2

There were 13,827 applications to the NHS low income scheme in 2023 where no certificate was issued.

Question 3

Figures can fluctuate based on:

Applications being deleted from the system

Applications having new business dates / received date due to resubmissions (if application received unsigned it is returned and new business date applied)

Also, we've developed our reporting suite since the previous figures were released, and now have an improved system in place. The data provided reflects this and is different due to the improvements.

Updated figures are as follows:

In 2020 there were 236,433 applications.

In 2021 there were 272,169 applications.

In 2022 there were 362, 472 applications.

Question 4

We can confirm that these figures are correct at the time of your request.

Data Queries

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data please contact foirequests@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.

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http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

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“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/

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