Open Data Portal Request
Request
You asked us:
I work for a medical device manufacturer and we are interested in some data which we have been made aware is available and has been given to some companies already. The data request would be for the following:
Prescribing data by dispensers (Appliance contractors, pharmacies and dispensing doctors) – Prescription value (NIC) and quantity data by bnf code, practice and dispenser. How far back does the dataset go?
Prescription Demographic data by age and gender - Prescription value (NIC) and quantity data by bnf code, sub-icb/practice, age and gender. Is this data also available by dispenser? How far back does the dataset go?
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on Friday 16 May 2025.
We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
On Wednesday 11 June 2025 you clarified:
Apologies for being a bit vague. We are aware of data being available at the following detail levels:
Prescribing data by dispensers since 2022 containing the below columns:
- BNF sections 2102, 2128 and 2202 – bnf code and bnf description columns
- Prescriber code, name and post code columns
- Dispenser code, name and post code columns
- Dispenser Type and parent dispenser
- Period
- NIC value, quantity and items
Prescription Demographic data since 2022:
- Sub ICB (Ex CCG) code
- By Age range
- Gender
- BNF code – only need BNF sections 2102, 2128 and 2202
- NIC value, quantity and items
Open Data Portal Response
Open Data Portal Response
Our response
I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested, and a copy has been published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-02840
Due to the large size of the files we cannot email these to you.
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.
Open Data Portal Response
Data Source
The data source was the NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.
Exclusions
- 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.
- Items supplied as part of a Pharmacy First consultation or service.
Time Period
Data limited prescriptions submitted to NHSBSA for processing between January 2022 and April 2025 (latest available)
Organisation Data
Limited to prescribing and dispensing in England.
Part 2 only has also been limited to prescribing within an SICBL environment.
Our data includes prescribing and dispensing organisation codes
Pharmacy and Appliance contractor addresses, postcodes and parent codes can be found here:
https://www.odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk/
Look under Reports for "edispensary (Dispensaries, including Pharmacies)"
Pharmacy Parent Codes can be looked up in a similar report "epharmacyhq (Pharmacy Headquarters Organisations)"
Prescribing organisations Dispensing Doctors and Personally Administered Items organisations can be found in the report "epraccur (Prescribing Cost Centres, including GP Practices)"
BNF Data
- 2128 Anal Irrigation System
- 2202 Anal Plugs
- 2102 Catheters
Patient Age
Taken from the age captured during processing of the prescription form
Gender
Patient gender has been reported using the latest patient gender information held by the NHSBSA Information Services data warehouse at the time that the data was extracted. This uses information from the last time that NHSBSA received data about the patient's gender from NHS Personal Demographics Service.
Gender is either: Male, Female, Not Known (where no information is held) or Indeterminate (where information is held which does not confirm either Male or Female, intentionally or otherwise).
This request has been split into two parts.
Part one has been split into different files for each period.
Part two has a single file of data.
The data files are:
- FOI02840_part_1_202201.csv - 89,519 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202202.csv - 85,405 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202203.csv - 90,624 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202204.csv - 82,663 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202205.csv - 89,673 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202206.csv - 87,654 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202207.csv - 88,435 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202208.csv - 84,318 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202209.csv - 90,694 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202210.csv - 90,062 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202211.csv - 89,982 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202212.csv - 90,951 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202301.csv - 93,334 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202302.csv - 85,326 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202303.csv - 94,748 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202304.csv - 85,696 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202305.csv - 91,286 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202306.csv - 93,787 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202307.csv - 92,025 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202308.csv - 92,932 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202309.csv - 91,596 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202310.csv - 88,167 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202311.csv - 93,353 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202312.csv - 93,371 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202401.csv - 95,166 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202402.csv - 90,706 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202403.csv - 91,482 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202404.csv - 95,292 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202405.csv - 94,225 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202406.csv - 91,381 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202407.csv - 97,934 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202408.csv - 96,512 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202409.csv - 96,339 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202410.csv - 102,069 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202411.csv - 95,435 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202412.csv - 96,242 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202501.csv - 100,866 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202502.csv - 94,408 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202503.csv - 97,192 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_1_202504.csv - 93,835 rows of data
- FOI02840_part_2.csv - 172,565 rows of data
Publishing and Copyright
Publishing this response
Please note that this information will be published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-02840
Your personal details will be removed from the published response.
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: “Data Warehouse, 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.
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