Thank you for your request for information about the following:

Request

‘In the past three years, how many enquiry letters sent by the NHS Business Services Authority regarding prescription charges did not lead to the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice, where no valid exemption or PPC was in place at the time of collection?’

[On 12 May 2025 you clarified your request as follows]

‘1 The number of PCN's issued where no valid exemption or PPC was in place for the last 3 calendar years 2 confirm that 100% of enquiry letters sent out in the last 3 calendar years, progress to the issue of a PCN if no valid exemption or PPC is in place (that is I am trying to find out, like you have suggested below, that on every single occasion a decision was made to issue a PCN regardless of any reason given in mitigation?)’

[On 2 June 2025 you clarified your request as follows]

‘I would like to establish where 1 PCN has been issued where no valid exemption has been found AND 2 where no valid PPC was found. I would like this information for the PECS only’

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 1 May 2025, with clarification received on 2 June 2025.

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

Our response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested.

Please note, we stopped issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) during the Covid pandemic and resumed sending them in 2022.

Question 1 - PCN has been issued where no valid exemption has been found

2022 - 259,116

2023 - 616,511

2024 - 630,720

Question 2 - where no valid PPC was found

2022 - 99,558

2023 - 274,319

2024 - 271,671

Question 3 - how many enquiry letters sent by the NHS Business Services Authority regarding prescription charges did not lead to the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice, where no valid exemption or PPC was in place at the time of collection?

We can confirm that 100% of enquiry letters would progress to a PCN if no valid exemption of PPC is in place.

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: “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.