Request

My request for information relates to data held by NHSBSA relating to FP34PCD prescribing.

For the following drugs:

Methylphenidate

Lisdexamfetamine

Dexamfetamine

Please provide prescribing data for each of the individual drugs named above.

For each of the individual months between April 2018 to March 2024 - for both the number of items and the quantity of these controlled drugs prescribed via private prescriptions.

Please note I wish only to receive data that relates to private prescriptions.

Please provide within the data a breakdown of the number of items and quantity prescribed at an ICB level. I am not seeking to identify any individual private prescriber, and I believe that providing data at an ICB level would not potentially lead to the identification of any private prescriber.

You have previously provided data requested in a Freedom of Information for FP34PCD prescribing https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-32040

Response

I can confirm that the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds the information you have requested, and a copy of the information is attached.

Please read the notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

Number of Private Controlled Drug items and total quantity of BNF Chemical Substances:

• 0404000L0 Dexamfetamine sulfate • 0404000M0 Methylphenidate hydrochloride • 0404000U0 Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate

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 one 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 which 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.

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.

Time Period: April 2018 – March 2024 (monthly)

Organisation Data: The data provided is for private CD prescriptions prescribed in England at Integrated Care Board (ICB) level.

Please note: Data before April 2020 is at area level which was the geography structure at that time. A date with the letter 'C' in brackets - example (C 01-Apr-20) against the Area (in the ICB column) indicates that this organisation is closed as of the date stated.

Unidentified Doctors relates to prescription forms which could not be allocated to an ICB.

British National Formulary (BNF): The BNF Code is a 15-digit code in which the first seven digits are allocated according to the categories in the BNF, and the last eight digits represent the medicinal product, form, strength and the link to the generic equivalent product. NHS Prescription Services has created pseudo BNF chapters, which are not published, for items not included in BNF chapters 1 to 15. The majority of such items are dressings and appliances which NHS Prescription Services has classified into four pseudo BNF chapters (20 to 23).

Dataset: This dataset is limited to the English private prescribing for Schedule 2 and 3 Controlled Drugs for the BNF Chemical Substances of:

• 0404000L0 Dexamfetamine sulfate • 0404000M0 Methylphenidate hydrochloride • 0404000U0 Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate

The prescribed BNF presentation is included.

Currently private prescriptions are only required to be submitted to the NHSBSA for schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs for monitoring purposes. Ref Drug Tariff Part XX https://www.drugtariff.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/#/00831895-DC_1/DC00831745/Part%20XX%20-%20Requisitions%20and%20Private%20Prescriptions%20for%20Controlled%20Drugs

Items: Items shows the number of times a product appears on a prescription form not the quantity prescribed.

Total Quantity: Total quantity is the number of items multiplied by the quantity prescribed. e.g. two items prescribed, one with a quantity of two and one with a quantity of three, the total quantity would show as five (one item x quantity of two) + (one item x quantity of three).

Data queries

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.

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 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: “ePACT2, NHSBSA Copyright 2024” 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.