Request

You asked us:

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request aggregated prescribing data and any summary analyses that NHSBSA may hold related to oral ketamine prescriptions dispensed through NHS-funded services in England over the last three full calendar years:

1- Aggregate Prescribing Volumes and Dosage Forms:
- Annual volumes of oral ketamine dispensed, broken down by formulation (if recorded, e.g., oral solution vs. capsules) and, if available, typical dosage strengths.
- Any standard coding or notes that could indicate if the product dispensed was a specially compounded formulation versus a licensed form.

2- Telehealth Indicators:
- If NHSBSA data includes any markers, notes, or associated codes that indicate prescriptions originated from telehealth consultations, please provide aggregated data on how frequently oral ketamine prescriptions might fall under that category. I recognize that such a marker may not be standard, but I would appreciate confirmation.

3- Private Prescribing Data:
- I understand NHSBSA mainly deals with NHS prescriptions. However, if NHSBSA holds or has published any summary that references known private prescribing trends (even at a policy discussion level), please include it. If no such data exists, simply confirm that NHSBSA does not track private prescriptions.

I am not seeking patient-level data or confidential information, only aggregated summaries, coding references, or policy-level documents.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 16 December 2024.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

Our response

Part 1

Under Section 21 of the FOIA we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.

The information you requested is available from the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/prescription-cost-analysis-england

The ‘Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) - Calendar Years’ data contains information on oral ketamine prescriptions. Select the aggregation you wish to view by opening the appropriate tab in the spreadsheet.

This dataset includes BNF presentation name which contains the strength and formulation of the drug. The ‘SNOMED_Codes’ tab includes the supplier’s name (which will indicate if the drug is a special-order product) and unit of measure (for example tablet).

Please see the following link to view the section 21 in full - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/21

Dosage Information

Please note that we do not capture dosage from prescription data, therefore this information is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority

Part 2

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. We do not hold data with regards to Telehealth Indicators.

Part 3

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information and notes explaining it is attached.

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

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. (Please note- for this particular dataset- data has been provided for prescriptions dispensed by English pharmacy contractors and dispensing doctors only, please refer to 'Organisation Data' for more information).

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

January 2021-October 2024 data is aggregated by calendar year. As prescription data is currently available until October 2024, the year 2024 is aggregated from January-October only.

Please note that that was no prescribing recorded for ketamine oral suspension from 2021-2023.

Organisation Data

The data provided is for prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in England.

Dataset

This dataset is limited to the private prescribing for Schedule 2 (CD) Controlled Drugs of oral Ketamine presentations (BNF Chemical Substance 0406000W0).

The BNF Presentation and Code 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

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 8 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).

Private Controlled Drug Items

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

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 2025” 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.